Facts, History and Use of the Olive Tree in Italian Gardens

The European olive tree (Olea europaea) has come to symbolize, more than any plant, the essence of the Mediterranean region and it's gardens. Growing from 8 -12 meters tall in the poorest, rockiest of soils and depending on ferocious Mediterranean sunshine, the olive tree has truly won the battle of survival in the Mediterranean, growing indigenously from Lebanon to parts of Iran and Syria and even to certain areas of China. The olive can survive for 2,000 years or more, with the correct human care and cultivation and can provide one of the most respected substances ever derived from nature olive oil!

Italy alone produces around 3,150,000 tons of olives per year and world production currently stands at a staggering 17,320,000 tons and most of this is destined for the production of olive oil. Olive tree cultivation counts for one of the largest and oldest agricultural practices in the whole of the Mediterranean's history.

Olive oil, or "Liquid Gold", as Homer (the great Greek poet) so rightly named it, has been used throughout history in cooking, skin care and as a medicine. It has been considered a divine 'gift' from the Gods and nature by many cultures throughout history. Ancient Greek athletes were anointed with olive oil to render their skin supple and healthy in elaborate ritual ceremonies and both Roman men and women used the product to clean and render their skin beautiful and supple.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Olive tree branches and elaborate crowns made from them were also discovered in the tombs of Egyptian Pharaohs. The fascination and respect for the olive tree honored it with a spiritual status over the centuries and it has been considered a symbol of peace, abundance and great natural power.

Indeed it is a plant that is able to survive in the most inhospitable, rocky terrains and with just the minimum of water it survives, thrives and provides a wondrous, healing oil. An evergreen tree it kept it's leaves throughout the winters while others would lose theirs and this would have also mystified early civilizations.

In Italy there are around 300 cultivars of the tree, however only a few are now cultivated for large agricultural production. The 'Leccino', 'Frantoio' and 'Carolea' are the cultivars favored in Italian agriculture owing to the 'sweet' and 'fruity' flavours (respectively) of their oil. Curiously these cultivars have very little in common with surviving evidence of their ancient ancestors- the closest relatives being found only in the Licinian olive varieties.

The magnificent Etruscan culture that arrived in the area now known as Tuscany in around 400B.C. was probably responsible for initiating the intense farming of the olive tree.

Below: The area populated by the Etruscans. Below Right: Etruscan vase depicting olive harvest. 

The Etruscans clearly delighted in the use of olive oil and displayed their respect for it by including the olive tree and it's cultivation often in elaborate designs on their intricate ceramic work. The designs on Etruscan vases, discovered in numerous tombs in Tuscany, have revealed how this highly social and sophisticated culture used and regarded both the olive tree and its oil.

The Etruscans were responsible for trading vast amounts of high quality olive oil throughout the whole of the Mediterranean region. Vases and Amphora of superb quality were produced in order to store and transport, not only oils, but also wine, by ship, to many areas in Europe, including the south of France.