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Room 2 – Botany and the culture of the olive tree
The olive tree could almost be said to be immortal thanks to its capacity to regenerate from its stump. The explanation of its botanical characteristics, from the aspect, to the various varieties spread throughout the Mediterranean, its form, the annual vegative cycle the forms and practises in the cultivation of olive groves, allow us to appreciate the peculiarity and in many cases the absolute exceptionality of this tree.

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We have tried to illustrate the various scientific and cultural aspects of this plant and by bringing into the museum various types of olive trees conferring a magical aspect, together with images of ancient and modern groves together and films illustrating the plantation and growth of an olive tree. Ancient instruments used in the past by the peasant cultivators, can be seen in this portion of an olive grove.
 

Quarta
 The traditional measure for measuring the olives and used during the harvest, in the mills before the actual pressing, or during the sales negotiations. The use of this measure needed strong attention, the contents had to arrive at exactly the level of its borders and this was obtained by the use of a special stick “bastone”. This stick was manufactured and controlled with great care to ensure that any eventual deifects could not alter its precision.

Material: wood from the chestnut tree, iron
Dimensions: height 32cm. Diameter 31,5cm.
Manufacturing technique: the wood warmed and curved then fixed to the forged iron structure
Origin: Liguria di ponente (west)
Dated: XIX century
Uses: a measure of volume, corresponding to the metric decimal system of 20 litres