Produzione, qualità, circolazione dell'olio salentino al tempo degli Orsini del Balzo (1399-1463)

The essay aims to study the different aspects of olive growing under the demographic and economic development that characterized the ancient province of Terra d'Otranto during the domination of the Orsini del Balzo (1399-1463). Referring to the contemporaneous documents, the essay analyzes particularly the cultivation's specificity, the distribution of the land cultivated with olive groves, the growing practices, the olives processing facilities, and finally the commercial trends. The study demonstrates how the policy of the Orsini del Balzo promoted a substantial development of olive growing and an increase in oil exportations.