The natural environment, still appreciable from the vantage points of the modern city and especially in the naturalistic-archaeological itinerary of the Via di Pomata, is characterized by extensive olive groves planted for centuries and consisting of local varieties, a valuable heritage of agricultural biodiversity.
One cannot imagine Tivoli without olive trees, which cover much of its territory.
Their cultivation undoubtedly dates back to the Classical period, as evidenced by the guild, indicated in the sources and various cabrei, of oil and wine pourers, the “capulatores” who remained active until the Middle Ages.
Hedges often consist of Storace(Styrax officinalis), a rare medicinal plant found in the Tivoli area.
Showy flowers appear in the meadows in spring: the Anemone hortensis, and the rarer florists’ anemone (Anemone coronaria).
In the shelter of bushes or in hollow trunks grow asparagine(Asparagus acutifolius), “ragweed”(Smilax officinalis), a well-known medicinal plant, butcher’s broom(Ruscus aculeatus), and autumn and spring cyclamen(Cyclamen hederifolium, Cyclamen repandum).
For fauna, notable, though now rare, are the land tortoise (Testudo hermanni), and the lizard (Lacerta viridis). Among the mammals include porcupines (Hystrix cristata), hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus), foxes (Vulpesvulpes), and wild boars (Sus scrofa).
Forbirdlife, we point out thehoopoe (Upupa epops), a migratory bird present in April-May, and the starling (Sturnus vulgaris), which feeds on ripe olives in winter.
Peter Blume (1906-1992, Russian, adopted U.S.)
Tivoli olive harvest inside Hadrian’s villa 1958
Favorite routes for a naturalistic-archaeological visit are the Via di Pomata, the Via Montanara (today of Maria SS.ma di Quintiliolo), the Strada di S. Martino, the Via di Bassi and the Via di Colle Nocello, the Favale and Campolimpido roads, the Via di S. Vittorino (leading to the Colli di S. Stefano), the Strada di S. Marco – Pisoni and the Rosolina road.
The artistic and natural beauty of the Tivoli area has attracted artists and men of letters from all over the world over the centuries.
It was a tradition for many painters in the 1800s and early 1900s to stop in Tivoli to paint century-old olive trees or the wide expanses of olive trees.
Hector Roiesler Franz
The olive harvest
A special fascination has always been the gnarled trunks and twisted branches, always rendered very well by artists, especially watercolorists who tried their hand at reproducing olive trees.
Masters of watercolor were Ettore Roesler Franz (1845-1907), who often came to Tivoli, especially to the Pomata area, and guided in the art the beloved pupil originally from Tivoli, Adolfo Scalpelli (1888-1917) and in more recent times Edoardo Tani (1880-1948). Also worthy of respect are works by Onorato Carlandi (1848-1939), Gino Piccioni (1873-1941), and Virginia Tomescu Scrocco ( 1886-1950).
Numerous other artists tried their hand at reproducing olive trees, among them: Peter Blume with the masterpiece, oil on canvas from 1958, in which he depicts “Tivoli: harvesting olives inside Hadrian’s villa” and François-Louis FRANÇAIS, oil on canvas, from1868 “Gathering olives at Tivoli.”
Francois
Louis Francais (1814-1897, French) 1814-1897 Tivoli
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