Paxos y Antipaxos

“The most important tree cultivated, rather, the only one that has any importance on Paxos is the olive tree because this symbol of peace practically covers the entire, tranquil island. They are not plantations of a couple of trees but a forest of olive trees in whose shade one can stroll as if in a giant park along well-tended paths. There are 440,000 cultivated olive trees on Paxos and 100,000 wild trees, that is, the latter grow amidst rocks and get their nourishment from the limestone as farm workers cannot fertilize them. This large quantity of trees is amazing bearing in mind the island’s size. This is still due to the ancient Republic of Venice which gave everyone who planted an olive tree a Thaler (silver coin) bearing in mind that these lands full of olive trees would be an important source of taxes for the state.”

“If the olive trees are tall and have few leaves, they plant beans, lentils, peas and garbanzos underneath. The land is tilled every year and isn’t allowed to rest. On Antipaxos, by contrast, they work the land every other year. There is only ever one harvest, whatever it may be.”