This olive tree, with a circumference of 20 m and still producing small olives, is considered to be the oldest tree in France, and perhaps even in Europe.
Its age is estimated at over 2,000 years.
It can be seen on the Chemin de Menton, 300m from the old village.
Its more recent history was almost tragic: at the beginning of the 20th century, the Dragon family decided to cut it down, and on the day it was felled, it owed its salvation only to the intervention of former Foreign Minister Gabriel Hanotaux, who bought it from the Dragon family at the price of wood.
From then on, the olive tree became a favourite destination for Gabriel Hanotaux's guests, including Clemenceau, Poincaré, Foch and Paul Valery.
In 1996, the Hanotaux Fonscolombes family donated the tree and surrounding plot to the town hall.
At the beginning of the 19th century, there were six oil mills in the commune. A blood mill, i.e. one with a mechanism that uses animal or human power, is mentioned in the village.
This two-thousand-year-old olive tree has been classified as a “Remarkable Tree of France” since January 14, 2016.
Chemin de Menton,
06190 Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
https://www.menton-riviera-merveilles.fr/offres/olivier-millenaire-roquebrune-cap-martin-fr-3110256/
