The thinking olive tree

The thinking olive tree, this incredible tree really exists in Italy.

A Ginosa, Province of Taranto, is a very special olive tree. Just look at him to see a face with eyes, a nose and a mouth that appear carved on its bark.

The old tree has been nicknamed "The Olive Tree thought." And it has been present for centuries in Castellaneta campaigns. We can not tell her age, but it is obvious that looking at the photograph nature gives us a new sight to behold. The thought of the olive could become the emblem of the olive trees to protect the Salento and beyond.

The olives are grown for centuries in fact among the main products of local agriculture, which makes an excellent olive oil.

The millions of olive trees that dot the area surrounded by the Adriatic and Ionian are threatened, however, by Xylella fastidiosa, a bacterium has never before been seen in Europe or on this type of plant species, that would be the cause of a "complex rapid drying of the olive trees ". This is certainly the view of the region that declared the entire province of Lecce "infected area" and has called for the abattuti contaminated trees to prevent the spread of the whole peninsula. Based on the information provided by the Italian authorities, the European Union also supports this drastic solution.

However, this decision was far from unanimous. Many voices - associations, journalists, farmers, artists and the University of Salento, among others - were raised to denounce the planned desertification of the region and the massive use of pesticides in order to combat alleged Xylella plague. the trouble is that there is no scientific evidence at the time that this bacteria is alone responsible for the drying up of Salento trees.

part of the landscape and the identity of its inhabitants, the olive tree grows for over two millennia in the south-east Italy. Its fruit is used for the extraction of oil in the world known for its unique taste, symbol of the "Mediterranean diet". The economic fabric of Salento, which produces about 30% of Italian olive oil would be directly and strongly influenced by a raid of his olive trees. One year after the discovery of Xylella near the city of Lecce, the story is far from over.