Roll up your sleeves, it’s pressing time. Here are some olive harvest retreats in Italy, Spain, and Greece to bookmark for 2026.

This is for those who are devoted food lovers secretly dreaming of slipping away into the countryside to grow their own fruits and vegetables like enchanted woodland residents. If packing up your city life isn’t quite on the cards yet, don’t worry. A growing number of retreats now offer a gentle taste of rural living, complete with hands-on fruit and vegetable picking, all without the need for a pitchfork.

Below, discover delightfully delicious escapes where you can experience the entire journey, from plucking olives straight from the tree to pressing them into bottles of shimmering, golden goodness.

– Featured image credit: Libellula – 

Eumelia Organic Agrotourism Farm

Nothing says “Greece” quite like olive oil. Truly, you’ll find it in the trees, in the food, and probably floating into your dreams after one too many Greek salads. So why not make your olive fascination official with a harvest adventure at Eumelia Organic Agrotourism Farm?

Tucked away in Gouves, Greece, this farm offers a 6-day retreat that turns you into an honorary olive whisperer. You’ll spend 5 nights in a charming eco-home surrounded by endless groves, enjoy organic farm-to-table meals (naturally paired with Greek natural wines), and get hands-on with harvesting olives like a seasoned local.

And that’s only the beginning. Expect a guided olive mill tour, six liters of extra virgin olive oil to take home (yes, six!), an olive-oil massage to melt away every worry, a visit to Ancient Sparta, stops at the Olive Oil Museum, cooking classes, a soap-making workshop, and even meditation under a 2,000-year-old olive tree. It’s everything you could dream of — and a little extra — if your dreams involve olives, sunshine, and the occasional Greek-wine-induced dance.

Agrikies Country Retreat

At Agrikies Country Retreat in Messinia, Greece, you can swap city chaos for a hands-on olive adventur — think harvesting, pressing, and celebrating olives like a true Greek local. Stay in a charming country house or glamp it up in a cozy tent surrounded by the serene Agrikies landscape.

Set between the fishing village of Marathopoli and Lagouvardos Beach, this family-owned olive grove has been producing olive oil since 1921. Your stay includes Greek cooking classes (yes, you can finally master moussaka), wine tasting sessions to loosen up before olive picking, a visit to a local olive oil factory, and plenty of chances to get your hands delightfully oily. It’s rustic, relaxed, and the kind of experience that makes you wonder why you ever lived anywhere else.

Costa del Soul

Nestled near Sierra de las Nieves National Park in Málaga, southern Spain, Costa del Soul is a charming little cocoon where you can hit pause, unwind, and dive into the Andalusian art of olive oil making. Feeling adventurous? Join for a day as a volunteer and the olives you help press will be sold with 100% of the proceeds going toward reforesting Costa del Soul. The best part? It’s completely free.

Prefer a longer escape? The full 5-day retreat has you covered: 4 nights in a glamping tent, daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner, a visit to the Olive Museum in Guaro, a hands-on olive mill tour, tasting sessions, and plenty of olive-picking adventures. You’ll also have unlimited access to onsite perks like the yoga shala, swimming pool, jacuzzi, and sauna, plus airport transfers included. It’s the ultimate way to soak up the Spanish sunshine, savor liquid gold, and live out your olive oil dreams.

Borgo Vescine

Nestled on a hillside roughly 600 metres above sea level, Borgo Vescine overlooks the timeless beauty of Chianti, with rolling olive groves and vineyards stretching out below and the historic town of Radda in Chianti nestled in the distance.

At the height of autumn, you can join their immersive olive-harvest experience — a two-night stay that places you at the heart of Tuscany’s centuries-old traditions. The package includes a rustic breakfast, a picnic amid the olive groves during harvest, and a dinner showcasing local flavours, followed by olive-oil tasting and pressing.

During your stay, you’ll have the chance to pick olives, see olive oil pressed fresh, and savour the season’s new oil, all set against the tranquil hills and vineyards that define this region. The retreat balances nature and tradition with comfort: cosy rooms or suites, a panoramic pool, hearty Tuscan meals, and the peaceful quiet of rural Italy, the kind of escape that feels like pausing time itself.

Maraviglia

Set on a 16th-century olive farm in the gentle hills of Tuscany, Maraviglia is the kind of place where time softens and even the olives seem to exhale. Sitting atop a quiet hill near Monte San Savino, this retreat weaves together yoga, massage, herbal traditions, and local culture into one soothing escape.

The villa you’ll be staying in was once a family home, now thoughtfully transformed into a cozy guesthouse that radiates the warmth of rural Tuscany. Throughout your stay, you can take part in daily yoga and meditation sessions, cook with the hosts using fresh seasonal ingredients, and choose between solo or group retreat formats. Time your visit with the olive harvest, and you’ll also get to witness — and possibly join — the traditional pressing of small-batch, top-quality olive oil right on the estate. It’s Tuscan magic you can quite literally taste.

Libellula

Less than half an hour from Rome, you’ll find yourself in Sabina, a picturesque region filled with medieval towns, sweeping olive groves, castles, and monasteries. For olive oil enthusiasts, this is where you can join Libellula’s Olive Harvest & Yoga Retreat and learn to make freshly pressed extra-virgin olive oil using traditional techniques at an ancient olive mill. Your days begin with morning meditation, followed by Hatha Yoga, and end with a calming Yin yoga session and a delicious Italian dinner made with local ingredients.

The retreat package includes accommodation, daily meals (with vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options), onsite activities, airport transfers, and, perfectly fitting for the occasion, two bottles of freshly pressed olive oil to take home.