The ancient ‘Romea Germanica Route’ and a millenary olive tree witness to many stories…

In Villastrada, near Castiglione del Lago, a gigantic olive tree 2500 years old, a real natural monument, is the silent witness of great and small stories, including the Battle of Trasimeno in 217 BC. between Hannibal and the Roman army.
The millennial olive tree was planted around the fifth century BC. The trunk, tortuous and imposing, measures about 13 meters in circumference and dominates with its presence the other centenary trees arranged all around, as if to pay homage to it.
Its genetic heritage is of extraordinary interest, as it is still an unknown genotype with no reference to varieties widespread in the area or outside the region, an ancient ancestor of current varieties or of a variety now extinct.