In Aspromonte in search of Monumental Trees

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Centuries-old giants that tell the story of nature, history and identity of the territory

Naturalistic

Faggeta Vetusta della Valle Infernale, San Luca - Luca Lombardi

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Monumental trees are plants with particular landscape, naturalistic, monumental and historical-cultural value. Among the requirements taken into consideration to define ancient trees as "monumental trees" are size, longevity, historicity (understood as the link with particularly significant historical events), rarity and certain landscape and historical-architectural requirements. In the three National Parks and Nature Reserves of Calabria, there are a considerable number of ancient trees declared "monumental trees", some of which are also UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as the Ancient Beech Forest of the Infernal Valley.

In this itinerary, we discover the ancient trees of Calabria immersed in the woods of the Aspromonte National Park, in the province of Reggio Calabria. Are you ready to embrace them all?

Monumental trees on the Strait of Messina

Reggio Calabria - Regione Calabria

A land of spells and enchantments, sung by D'Annunzio and celebrated in the 19th century by English travellers on the Grand Tour, the city of Reggio Calabria is the first stop on an itinerary to discover the monumental trees found throughout its province, from the sea to the peaks of the Aspromonte mountains. The city has several famous centuries-old trees, from the splendid specimens of Strangler Figs on Via Marina to the Silver Firs that form a homogeneous and ornamental ensemble, passing by the Tre Aie Fountain in Gornelle, where you can admire a Polycormic Beech Tree characterised by its majestic bearing and size. Also worth seeing is the Laricio Pine Tree in Fragolara, with four twisted branches that give it a truly unique appearance. Finally, in Due Fiumare, a Rostratum Eucalyptus tree leads directly to the Dome of St. Sylvester.

Ancient trees in the Calabria of myth

Faro di Scilla, Regione Calabria

The second stop on our search for monumental trees in Reggio Calabria takes us to Scilla, a small seaside village on the Costa Viola, perched on a panoramic spur overlooking the sea. In its territory, suspended between the sea and the mountains, there is a centuries-old Silver Fir of such considerable size that it has given its name to the locality that hosts it, known as Abetazzo. The Downy Oak on the Campo Calabro-Melia provincial road is no less impressive! With large branches spreading out in all directions, this monumental tree has a crown diameter of about 35 metres.

The oldest oak tree in Europe

Quercia Demetra, Parco Nazionale dell'Aspromonte - Giuseppe Battaglia

The journey to discover monumental trees in Calabria can only end in the heart of Aspromonte, where, in a hidden and inaccessible place, Demetra, the oldest oak tree in Europe, has been recorded. Among the centuries-old trees that can be easily admired in the territory of Santo Stefano in Aspromonte, in the ski resort of Gambarie, we find a beautiful specimen of California Cypress: a plant introduced to Europe in the 19th century, characterised by a pyramid-shaped polycormic trunk and a height of almost 30 metres.