A Xylella-Hit Farm Becomes a Hub for Biodiversity, Education, Art and Solidarity
In Puglia , a estate responded to the Xylella fastidiosa flare-up with a far-reaching landscape regeneration project that has since expanded into a broader mission of environmental stewardship, community engagement, educational programs and solidarity initiatives. In a world that tends to simplify everything, from agri…
“Every time I passed by, I was enchanted by the beauty of this place. So around twenty years ago, as an act of love, I decided to purchase these olive groves,”
He named the estate after Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (4 A.D.–70 A.D.), the author of “De re rustica (On Agriculture),” one of antiquity’s most influential agronomic works, which includes references to olive groves in the region. Recognized as High Natural Value Farmland, its monumental olive trees within the Torre Guaceto Reserve were included in the E.U.-funded Life+ Cent.Oli.Med project, aimed at protecting biodiversity . The property’s first environmental regeneration effort started with the creation of a forest on a reclaimed field that had earlier on been left fallow and filled with abandoned waste.
The plot now contains 1,500 trees, Mediterranean scrubland plants and a pond and is listed in the regional educational forests register. Through an initiative that involved the local community and producers, the Columella holding planted 600 new olive trees and 400 Mediterranean shrubland plants, restored dry-stone walls and rebuilt the vegetative ground cover. Our goal, then, was to recreate the agroecosystem.” Ciola explained Xylella causes profound changes to the agroecosystem.
As tree canopies downturn, solar radiation intensifies and the soil overheats, altering microbial composition and accelerating the loss of organic matter and water retention capacity. Based on the ecological role of centuries-old olive groves as habitats for wildlife species, including birds, reptiles, insects and small mammals, the holding removed dried sections of affected trees while preserving healthy portions.
A survey documented wildlife living in the groves along with edible herbaceous species and plants that host beneficial insects capable of counteracting olive pests. A survey was conducted to document the fauna and flora inhabiting in the Columella groves, revealing a remarkable biodiversity.
These conclusions now serve as a key resource in the estate’s educational activities. The firm later planted 600 Favolosa olive trees, a variety considered tolerant to Xylella.
For each olive tree planted, two Mediterranean plants, including mastic, myrtle, strawberry tree and buckthorn, were added to create a more diverse and resilient agroecosystem. The Columella estate expanded into oleotourism and participates in a network that connects historical and natural sites with organic estates along the ancient Roman Via Traiana. The groves have in addition hosted artistic projects, including the “Ri-costruire innesti” initiative organized in collaboration with the Naples Academy of Fine Arts in 2023.
The firm has as well expanded into oleotourism and joined the Bio Itinerario network, which links historical and natural sites with organic holdings along the ancient Roman Via Traiana. For its environmental and tourism initiatives, the business received top recognition at the 2022 national oleotourism competition organized by the Città dell’Olio association and earned the Ecotourism Award at the TTG Rimini Tourism Fair in 2023. The Columella estate’s landscape management model has since been shared with the Torre Guaceto Reserve and is now considered a reference point for the regeneration of Xylella-affected holdings and marginal rural areas.
In May 2025, the olive grove within the reserve hosted a technical visit as part of an international conference on plant health strategy in the Near East and North Africa.
- Who: Xylella · Torre Guaceto Reserve · Gianfranco Ciola
