The olive tree, symbol of the Mediterranean, has been around Nîmes for thousands of years.
The centuries have taught men how to grow them, how to harvest the olives and organise the production of their oil.
For some time, modern medicine has been singing the praises of olive oil.
Although the product has become so common, the work required to produce it is not so banal.
As with all fruits, production starts with the harvest. The trouble is, this harvest takes place in December, and is done manually! Even in Southern regions, December temperatures can be far from mild...
The harvest is then taken to the mill for pressing. Here, another sort of know-how is brought into play during the months of December and January.
The green olive sold in all markets is called Picholine. It is the speciality of this region.
It is useful to know that all varieties of olive go black when ripening, but this don't necessarily give them a gentler flavour. They first require special preparation, be they black or green.
The inhabitants of the garrigue found themselves in the overwhelming presence of stone. Their limitless ingenuity gave rise, through countless re-use of the stone, to dry masonry walls, the clapas, shelters, the masets, terraces and even to stone roads.
Observe carefully during your walks. You will discover the life and work of men in the stone structures, even if they have been colonised by the wild and fragrant vegetation ? that is one of the charms of the garrigue.

The Capitelles
The principle behind these stone structures is very old indeed and is impossible to date precisely.
The oldest structures still standing go back to the 17th century. They bear witness to the patient and careful work of peasants who possessed little else.
For these former inhabitants, the capitelles were much more than simple shelters. They were concrete proof that they possessed their own property.