Hi, and welcome to my website. My name is Lia Piancone.

I was born many years ago, in my grandmother's house in a little town called Corato, in the region of Puglia, Italy. My house was in Rome, where eventually I lived all my life, but for reasons related to the war my first breath was taken in beautiful Puglia. As I said, I lived all my life in Rome, where eventually I got married. I came with my husband to the United States on my honeymoon, and we like to say we are still on our honeymoon after more than 50 years.

In the beginning there were lots of adjustments to make. Married life, habits, work, flavors, food, drinks, etc. So I never paid much attention to the olive oil quality and potential until I had my first son.When he was about a year old, I started to prepare his first baby food, that we call pappette, made with semolino, pastina, vegetables etc. and in them I would put few drops of olive oil.

After a while I noticed that my son was having diarrhea. He never did that when he was on breast milk alone. Alarmed, I called my doctor. I had an Italian doctor. The first question he asked me was “What kind of oil you use?” Surprised, I answered “The cheapest, on sale.” He told me to change the oil and things will improve.

I then called my mother in Italy and asked her to send me the best extra virgin olive oil available. Of course she did. Few drops of the new oil and the problem was solved.

That was my first experience with the power of extra virgin olive oil.

But it was many years later, in 1975, when doctor Ancel Keys wrote a book announcing to the world his findings about the great virtues of the Mediterranean diet, made mostly of fruit and vegetables, pasta, bread, fish, very little meat, and as the spotlight, extra virgin olive, that my interest in this food developed.

Extra virgin olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acid, the number one food that fights inflammation and is associated with a low death rate from cardiovascular diseases. Helps prevent strokes, lowers depression risk and may reduce breast cancer risk. Even more, very important for us mothers for its acidic composition that makes it similar to the mother’s milk, which great for the development of children.

Few years later Dr. Crepaldi, director of the Mediterranean Diet Association, said in an interview that the extra virgin olive oil from the region of Puglia is the best Italian extra virgin olive oil, for its great amount of polyphenols and oleic acid.

Puglia, imperial splendor of southern Italy, stretches down the heel of the boot, making it a land somewhat apart from the rest of Italy. Agriculture is the most important sector and much olive oil is produced there.

Puglia produces more high quality olive oil than any other single region. The dominant olives in oil from Puglia are:  Coratina, Provenzale and Ogliarola.

From the area of Corato (Bari) the oils are closer in character in the taste of fresh olives, with the slight almond taste. That is when I called a company in Corato, members  of  our family, and asked them to send me samples of their best product.

The high quality of the cold pressed, unfiltered samples convinced me to buy more for all our family, our sons, our six precious grandchildren, and our neighbors.    
                                                                                                                    
Convinced of the great quality and the great benefits of this special oil, we decided to start a company “OLIANNA” and import this sublime extra virgin olive oil, cold pressed, unfiltered, product, packed in Italy, from the town were I was born, so it is the best.

Now it is here, available for all our neighbors in the United Stats and for you, mothers, let's be the source of healthier children!