Xylella: The Day
the Olive Trees Died
(Part 1)

In October 2013, a mysterious dieback began to turn the olive trees of Salento into skeletons. Plant Doctors Franco Valentini and Tawfik el Beaino retrace the early days of the Xylella epidemic—from field investigations to the shocking trail leading back to ornamental coffee plants from Costa Rica. Meet the insect behind the spread and discover how science responded to one of Europe’s worst plant health crises.