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Former solicitor William Richards explains how he inherited a family estate in Sicily and built up an olive-growing farm.

Richards qualified as a solicitor in 1968 and practised until his retirement in 1999. He was a regular visitor to his father’s cousin in Italy, Manfred Pedicini. Pedicini put back the Sicilian assets of his grandfather and Richards’ great-grandfather, Joshua Whitaker, following the Second World War. These assets included Villa Ingham at Racalia. The Whitakers were part owners of the Ingham & Whitaker & Co business that produced and sold Marsala wines and generated a huge fortune.
Pedicini adopted Richards as his son so he could inherit the estate. Following his retirement in 1999, Richards began planting olive trees at Racalia. The estate now has 2015 trees producing 4500 litres of olive oil a year for the UK and Italian markets.

There will be an opportunity to taste and purchase the estate’s olive oil following the talk.

Programme of Italian literature and culture