The olive producing heritage is of inestimable value to Liguria for a number of reasons. First of all, and in great measure, the olive tree is part of the beautiful scenery that in all seasons attracts the streams of tourists that are an essential part of the regional economy. In most of the area, olive groves cover the hills and mountains as veritable woods and have important hydro-geological and climatic properties. Finally, in areas where no other cultivation is possible and even the woods have difficulty developing because of the scarce rainfall, the disappearance of the olive tree would mark the definitive desertion of the farming population.
In the Olive botanical garden near Imperia, you can return to the simplicity of the model olive grove and come to know the wisdom of the traditional method of Ligurian farming. Walking amidst the dry walls, in the “Franciscan” essentiality of olive growing, is like reflecting on the quiet passing of time as it ripens the precious fruit of our ancient land.
Sheltered from the west wind, the terrain is arranged in slightly sloping terraces, and at an altitude of sixty metres above sea level it offers a delightful view.
Because of the importance of the sale of olives and olive oil, and to help resolve the many problems associated with the crisis in the olive growing industry at the beginning of the last century, the “Regio Oleificio Sperimentale”, under the Ministry for Agriculture at the time, was established in Porto Maurizio in 1911.
In order to study acclimatization, an olive grove was planted using the many varieties of olives existing in Italy and formed the “experimental olive grove of Imperia”, directed by Carocci Buzi.
The “Istituto Sperimentale per l’ Olivicoltura e l’ Oleificio di Imperia” was later abolished in 1967. Then after a number of misfortunes and a long period of near abandon, the Province of Imperia acquired it in 1991.
The “experimental olive grove” is located in the Gabella area of Imperia, just a short distance from the city, and covers a total area of 14,507 m2 today. It is characterized by the presence of diverse cultivars of olives for both oil and table use, which were planted according to the criterion of mixing varieties: an impressive collection of germoplasm. Liguria does not have many large churches or great cathedrals, but the immense work of man has left it one: the cathedral of the olives.