PDO olive-growing area
Nice
The Alpes-Maritimes department is home to a significant olive-growing region characterised by the presence of the Cailletier variety, which has successfully adapted to the climatic conditions of this area nestled between the sea and the mountains. Since 2006, PDO has recognised three typical olive products: Nice olive oil PDO, Nice olives PDO and Nice olive paste PDO.
© France Olive
The olive-growing area of the Nice Protected Designation of Origin comprises 99 municipalities in the Alpes-Maritimes. The Nice olive groves are situated at the heart of a region where the mountains and the sea meet and merge into one another. They are situated in wind-sheltered, south-facing valleys, on hills, plateaus and slopes that are often terraced, known as ‘restanques’, ‘planches’ or ‘terraces’. The climate of the Nice olive-growing area is Mediterranean in character, though tempered by mountainous influences; however, the olive groves are not situated at altitudes exceeding 600–700 metres. Over the centuries, the Cailletier variety has established itself as the dominant variety in Nice’s olive groves.
