What Is So Special About This Tree!

This olive tree in Agrigento has shaded travelers for about 1000 years. The Greek temple in the background was built in 490 b.c.. Recently, an olive tree in southern Italy was carbon dated at 5000 yrs old.  Its exact location is kept secret. There are eight olive trees on the Mount of Olives in Israel  that existed when Jesus prayed there.  They still produce olives.  There is a black market for old olive trees that can fetch up to 5000 euros.  In the 1940's it became illegal to destroy old olive trees in Italy without permission from the goverment.

Sicily and in particular Ventimiglia (in oil painting below) exports high quality extra virgin olive. When I painted this, it was only appropriate for me to blend in this oil .   ....administering its first and last sacrament.