Licinius — Di Muccio Farm

The people behind it

Licinius is the oil of the Di Muccio family, which according to the company website and the NYIOOC has made it in Venafro since 1948, exclusively from olives grown on its own groves. Today the farm is led by Ernesto Di Muccio, whom the newspaper Leggo Cassino, in an October 2026 article, presents as the creator of Licinius; L'Arcimboldo's guide publishes his name in its entry on the farm.

In the same article Di Muccio describes a collaboration with the Tenuta Albaneta estate on a new oil called Montecassino, for which he personally visited the estate looking for places suited to new olive groves. The company website stresses that the groves are farmed without pesticides, following natural rhythms with the same dedication as eighty years ago.

Sources: Olio Licinius — L'azienda · NYIOOC — Licinius wins Gold at 2026 NYIOOC for Licinius Aurum (19 febbraio 2026) · Leggo Cassino — Nasce l'olio Montecassino: l'eccellenza pluripremiata di Licinius incontra la Tenuta Albaneta (9 ottobre 2026) · L'Arcimboldo — Azienda Agricola Di Muccio, I migliori oli extravergine d'Italia 2026

What they make

The farm makes extra virgin olive oil under the Licinius name; the website lists the Aurum and Argentum lines, plus a limited edition and family-size packs. The work is described step by step: the olives are picked while still green, as early as the first half of October, exclusively by hand, by stripping and combing, and taken to the mill every day, as soon as they are picked.

At the mill the olive paste goes into the malaxers, where the oil droplets gather and the aromas develop, then the centrifuge separates the oil from the water. The whole process stays below 27 degrees Celsius to preserve the oil's sensory qualities, and the declared maximum yield is 7 per cent: a choice, the company writes, that puts quality before quantity. L'Arcimboldo's guide describes Licinius Aurum as golden in colour, with a light aroma, a delicate and harmonious flavour and a faintly peppery finish.

Sources: Olio Licinius — sito ufficiale · Olio Licinius — Il raccolto · L'Arcimboldo — Azienda Agricola Di Muccio, I migliori oli extravergine d'Italia 2026

Ingredients and territory

The company website and L'Arcimboldo's guide link Licinius to the Aurina, which the website calls one of the oldest varieties of Molise and which tradition says was brought to Venafro by Licinius, the ancient figure the oil is named after. The NYIOOC entry, on the other hand, describes Licinius Aurum as a medium-intensity oil made from Frantoio olives, with fresh aromas recalling rocket and tomato leaf.

The groves lie on the Venafro plain and are part of the Parco dell'Olivo di Venafro. For the Di Muccio family the bond with the land is also a matter of method: farming without pesticides, hand-picking the olives while still green and milling them the same day, so that the variety's aromas reach the bottle intact.

Sources: Olio Licinius — sito ufficiale · Olio Licinius — L'azienda · L'Arcimboldo — Azienda Agricola Di Muccio, I migliori oli extravergine d'Italia 2026 · NYIOOC — Licinius wins Gold at 2026 NYIOOC for Licinius Aurum (19 febbraio 2026) · Olio Licinius — Il raccolto

Recognition

The most recent and best documented recognition is international: on 19 February 2026 the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition in New York announced the Gold Award given to Licinius Aurum. Leggo Cassino notes that in 2026 the oil also won a first prize in Dubai and a first international 'Olio della Salute' prize in Miami.

In Italy L'Arcimboldo's guide 'I migliori oli extravergine d'Italia 2026' gives the Di Muccio farm 3 Brushes in the Excellence category. The company website then lists a long series of awards from 2022 onwards, including L'Oro d'Italia, L'Oro del Mediterraneo, Master of Oil International and Gambero Rosso mentions in 2023, 2024 and 2026; the latter were not checked on the guide's own page, which could not be consulted.

Sources: NYIOOC — Licinius wins Gold at 2026 NYIOOC for Licinius Aurum (19 febbraio 2026) · Leggo Cassino — Nasce l'olio Montecassino: l'eccellenza pluripremiata di Licinius incontra la Tenuta Albaneta (9 ottobre 2026) · L'Arcimboldo — Azienda Agricola Di Muccio, I migliori oli extravergine d'Italia 2026 · Olio Licinius — Premi

Going there

The Di Muccio farm is based in Venafro, in the province of Isernia, on Via Gregorio Magno, according to the contact details published by L'Arcimboldo's guide; the company website gives a phone number and an email address for enquiries and oil sales.

The farm's groves lie on the Venafro plain, within the Parco dell'Olivo di Venafro. The most interesting season is autumn, when the olives are hand-picked while still green, between September and the first half of October. The sources consulted do not mention organised visits or a shop open to the public: before going it is best to write to or call the farm to ask whether and when a visit is possible.

Sources: L'Arcimboldo — Azienda Agricola Di Muccio, I migliori oli extravergine d'Italia 2026 · Olio Licinius — sito ufficiale · Olio Licinius — L'azienda · Olio Licinius — Il raccolto

Products and flavours

The region

Molise