"Above in beauteous Italy lies a lake At the Alp’s foot that shuts in Germany Over Tyrol, and has the name Benaco." Dante Alighieri (La Divina Commedia - Inferno XX, 61-63)

OLIVE OLEA
Olea europea, Famiglia Oleaceae. It is a typically Mediterranean species, introduced from Greece in the first millennium BC. The fruit, the olive, can be preserved in brine and so treated constituted, with bread, one of the staple foods of the Mediterranean peoples. But olives are mainly used for the extraction of oil. In our area olive trees are cultivated a lot because of the mild climate of Lake Garda. The wood, which is very hard and perfectly polishable, is used for cabinet-making, lathework and inlay work.
FUSTO: corteccia grigia, tronco nodoso e torto.
FOGLIE: lanceolate, coriacee, colore verde scuro sopra e grigio-argento sotto.
FIORI: piccoli e bianchi, con due stami dalle punte gialle, in pannocchie; compaiono tra aprile e giugno.
FRUTTI: drupe ovali, contenenti un unico grosso seme, di colore dal verde al nero quando maturano.

The olive tree in myth
The olive tree is the bread of the poor, it is nourishment pleasing to the gods, a source of light and balm for the body. On the Acropolis of Athens in Greece it was the object of veneration and the crown, formed by its branches, was awarded to the winners of the Olympics. After the flood, a dove brought an olive leaf to Noah on the ark, as a sign of peace and a symbol of great hope. It is the essential element of various religious ceremonies: it consecrates ministers of worship, makes the sick and infants pure, confirms the faith of the confirmed. In addition, ancient medicine has made great use of the leaves and flowers of the olive tree exploiting their good astringent and purifying properties; In our popular tradition its leaves were used in infusion to lower the pressure and olive oil entered as a component in many recipes and medicinal ointments.

OAK
The downy oak is the typical oak of the woods of the hills and the low mountains; of very slow growth, it is traditionally governed by coppice to obtain firewood and coal in a short time. Downy acorns are sweet and were once used for feeding pigs. They were also used as food in times of war and famine.
FUSTO: albero a chioma espansa alto fino a 25 m.
FOGLIE: alterne, forma ovale allungata, il margine è diviso in 5-7 paia di lobi interni.
FIORI: i fiori maschili sono riuniti in amenti penduli, quelli femminili sono solitari o a gruppi di 2-4.
FRUTTO: il frutto è una ghianda coperta fino a metà da una cupola di scaglie appressate.