In the Pollino National Park for Italus, the oldest tree in Europe

It is called ‘’Italus‘’, the longest-living millenary tree on the European continent, in homage to the legendary ruler Italus, who reigned over the ancient Italic peoples originating in the region (Oenotrians and Brettians). The Loricate Pine ‘’Italus‘’ has been rooted for centuries in the rock face of the Pollino National Park, on the southern slope of Mount Serra delle Ciavole (1900 metres above sea level).

Its exact location is a secret, to better guarantee the protection and health of this tenacious plant, an example of endurance, longevity and adaptability.

Let's find out more about Italus and the wonderful natural environment that surrounds it.

More than a millennium old, Italus is considered among the oldest monumental trees in Europe, certainly the oldest whose age has been scientifically ascertained. Discovered in 2017 during research by the University of Tuscia on the Loricate Pine, the symbolic tree of the Pollino National Park, Italus, a tree belonging to this species, immediately struck the scientists: clinging tenaciously to the rock, like its fellows, Italus showed signs of unprecedented longevity.

Thus began a further collaboration with the University of Salento, which proceeded to radiocarbon dating some growth rings of the roots and trunk, thanks to the use of a special particle accelerator (Tandetron). From the analysis, the researchers determined that the tree is approximately 1230 years old, having been planted in the second half of the 8th century. The investigation has made it possible not only to ascertain the age of the ‘’Italus‘’ Loricate Pine, but also to reconstruct some salient phases of its long and silent existence on the Pollino, some of them decisive for the entire planet!

A few examples? It seems that around 993-94 Italus was affected by the so-called ‘’Miyake Event‘’, a particular interaction between cosmic rays and the Earth's atmosphere.

As we said, the exact location of Italus in the Pollino is purposely kept secret, but we do know that it is located on the southern slope of Mount Serra delle Ciavole, a Site of Community Interest (SCI) on a rocky slope sheltered from fires and lightning, at an altitude of about 1900 metres above sea level. An enchanting place to discover during a guided hike or on your own in all seasons of the year.

In summer, the plains of Serra delle Ciavole are transformed into green pastures for herds of horses and cows; while throughout the winter they are covered by snow, which in prehistoric times had turned them into a veritable glacier. Along the slopes of the eastern and south-eastern slopes stretches the immense La Fagosa forest, one of the most extensive beech forests in the Pollino; to the north-west, on the other hand, the landscape is characterised by the Serra di Crispo ridge and the ‘’Great Gateway of the Pollino‘’: it is here that most of the specimens of Loricate Pine identical to Italus can be admired.