🇬🇧 The municipal park and its historic trees

The municipal park of Popoli – also known as “Parco del Sole” – and the surrounding areas are home to numerous historic trees that have monumental characteristics 

Platanus orientalis: it is an historic tree that was already registered in 2012, measuring a circumference of 4.06 metres. Since 2012 it has belonged to the monumental and valuable old trees of the municipality of Popoli. The tree is of botanical, historical, cultural and landscape interest. The peculiarity of this tree is that it is shaped like a bottle;

Pinus pinea:  it is between 70 and 80 years old. It is a tree of historical interest for the municipality of Popoli and a symbol of our landscape. It can be recognised by its discoidal mushroom-shaped crown and its defined, hard bark. It is very important in ecological terms because it creates habitats for birdlife and has cultural and landscape value;

Catalpa bignonioides: along the “Giardino” fiver there are remarkable specimens of Catalpe. It is worth mentioning the monumental size of these trees (2.25m-2.45m-2.52m). They are ornamental trees that create beautiful blooms. They have been included in the list of valuable trees of the municipality of Popoli;

Salix alba: Just outside the municipal park are two willow trees, which are located on the right bank of the “Giardino” river course and in ancient times must have been on the natural riverbed, which was much more sinuous. Subsequent sewerage works eliminated the bight, rectifying and cementing the embankment, bringing the river along its current forced course. The largest one reached a circumference of 5 metres. These trees are very important due to their size and ecological value as important habitat creators for bird life;

Taxodium disticum: also called bald cypress or swamp cypress is known for its botanical rarity, which is difficult to find in large or medium size in Abruzzo. It is a hygrophilous plant, the only one present in the Popoli area, located in a private garden not far from the park. It normally lives and develops only in environments with permanently water-rich soil and a moisture-saturated atmosphere. Despite many interventions on the foliage, the tree still retains its naturalness. It will be added to the list of valuable trees too.

Magnolia grandiflora: There are magnolia trees in excellent condition in the garden of a “liberty” (modern style) cottage near the municipal park in the city centre. Found in old nineteenth- and early twentieth-century gardens, the Magnolia is a beautiful flowering tree with evergreen foliage that can reach considerable size. These two specimens located in the historic centre of Popoli are also an important historical testimony and can be included among the largest and best preserved Magnolia trees in the Abruzzo region.

Source: Lista degli alberi monumentali e vetusti di pregio catalogati nel territorio di Popoli (PE)

Authors: Roberto Flauto, Federico Palmerini, Andrea De Melis

Project: work-school with the “Amedeo Di Savoia” high school (Popoli)