Expenditures and revenues register written by messer Jacomo da Viterbo March 1460 – May 1462

ASUPg, Sapienza Nuova, Entrate e uscite, reg. no. 2

Parchment-bound paper accounting book

The displayed page shows, as revenues registration, one of the greater source of wealth of the collegial community: “ENTRATA DE OLIO DE PREPO ET DE PISCILLI”. (revenue from olive oil of Prepo and Piscille)

Olive oil, along with cereals and wine, is one of the typical elements of the Mediterranean world.

The Food triad symbolizes life and social well-being, is the fruit of Good Governance, the social glue of community and identifies the Mediterranean civilization as convivium civilization, dominated by the three elected foods in many different forms and plant species.

The agricultural landscape of the countryside in Perugia, in the second half of the fifteenth century, never moved away from this ancient pagan view; hills gently slope down, embroidered by olive oil silvery fronds, lowlands around Trasimeno lake are ploughed for the wheat sowing; fastened grapevines lavish pleasures after the grape harvest.

The Sapienza Nuova, owning fertile lands in the suburbs of Perugia, could fill the tables of its college canteen with the best of the Mediterranean diet: Prepo and Piscille’s olive oil, Sant’Arcangelo’s mill flour and Pian di Massiano’s vineyards wine.

The oil, due to its high cost, long remained valuable foodstaff even in the regions where its cultivation spread incisively.

The use of the oil produced in the lands of Piscille and Prepo qualified the College canteen as distinguished; the Sapienza cooks had the privilege of being able to offer a variety of animal and vegetable fats, according to medical and religious prescriptions.