Olivo, tesoro del Mediterraneo.

Under the sponsorship of the National Association of Cities of Oil and its invaluable contribution of scientific knowledge, and under the aegis of the Ministry for Agricultural Policies, this book hopes to be of avail in developing a greater appreciation of a typically Italian' and Mediterranean' product, olive oil, as well as the preservation and promotion of the olivegrowing countryside. In over two hundred photographs, both historical and recent, the publication illustrates the story of the olive tree and olives, with particular emphasis on the origins and diffusion of the tree, the many phases in the production of olive oil, its importance in the food cycle and daily life, on its influences in the world of art and literature, aspects of its use in religious rites and in cosmetics. A gallery of famous portraits closes the book, ranging from Manzoni to Pascoli, to D'Annunzio and Montale, accompanied by poetry and passages on oil and the olive.