Martos

It's not only famous not only for its olive oil but also for La Peña the conical hill its built around. Head up towards the casco antiguo to get a feel of the Moorish origins and Roman touches of the town.

Or drive up behind the hill and have a barbecue or lunch in the picnic area before taking a climb up La Peña. On a clear day you can see other Moorish lookout towers in the distance, it's then easy to imagine fires being lit across the terrain as warning of the enemy approaching.

They gather before the statue of the olive pickers and thousands of hoyas - a chunk of bread which is hollowed out and filled with olive oil, bacalao – salt cod and olives are provided by the town council.

Thousands of workers then gather the olives every day of the week, unless it rains, to bring in the harvest in the shortest time possible. Many work on Christmas Day too, having celebrated with a family meal on the evening of Christmas Eve. The olive mills work a 24-hour day milling, pressing and refining the oil.

When the harvest is over another fiesta begins – to celebrate the harvest end!

Olive Oil Fiesta

Buy Martos Olive Oil

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