Olive

Century-old, gnarled olive trees in Monaco’s parks are a reminder that before the casinos came, the Riviera lived on olive oil.

The olive is an evergreen, long-lived tree with a thick, knotty trunk and narrow, leathery leaves that are silvery underneath. In spring it bears small, creamy flowers, and in autumn and winter its fruits ripen – olives, which are pressed for oil. It copes superbly with drought and poor, stony soils, which is why it has been a mainstay of farming in the Mediterranean basin for thousands of years. Some trees live for more than a thousand years, and when cut down they regrow from the trunk.

Significance in the country

Before tourism took off in the 19th century, the slopes above Monaco were covered with terraced olive and citrus groves and vineyards. Today old olive trees adorn the principality’s parks, including Princess Antoinette Park, laid out on the site of a former olive grove.

Where it grows

In parks and gardens throughout the principality, especially in Princess Antoinette Park in Moneghetti and in the gardens on the Rock of Monaco.

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