There are many ways to explore an area and one of them is to do so by getting to know its trees. They are silent witnesses of stories that go back hundreds of years, taking root in the land in which they live and then travel with their foliage in search of air, sunshine and tales. There are 7 monumental trees in Reggello, identified by age and size or by historical and cultural value and quality of the landscape. There are 2 record-breaking ones, due to their exceptional height. Let's start with the latter and then continue walking along the forest paths in Reggello.
Contents
1.
The Giants of Vallombrosa
2.
The Holy Beech Tree
3.
The Great Beech Tree of Prato in Marcaccio
4.
The Sammezzano redwoods
5.
The Experimental Arboreta
1.
The Giants of Vallombrosa
Italy's tallest tree - Credit: Ufficio IAT Reggello
We are in the Vallombrosa Biogenetic Reserve . From the thousand-year-old Abbey, we take the road that leads to the Passo della Consuma. We can leave the car at the former Albergo del Lago and, from there, walk along the “l’Anello dei Giganti” (Ring of the Giants) path until we reach the tallest tree in Italy. "The Italian Tree King"- as it has been named - is a Douglas fir 62.45 meters in height. The runner-up is slightly smaller (59.83 meters) and is also in the same area of the forest. It is thanks to SuperAlberi's "arbonauts", who measured the tallest trees on the Italian peninsula in 2016, using the tree-climbing technique, that we can call Vallombrosa a record-breaking forest!
We remain in Vallombrosa to meet the Faggio Santo (Holy Beech Tree)along the Circuito delle Cappelle (Chapel Circuit), a route that runs for about5.5 km around the Abbey. According to tradition, St. Giovanni Gualberto, founder of Vallombrosa (11th century), stayed in this place for seven years and the epigraph on the chapel stone tells us that:
[...] this beech tree / now many years old / and wide with very protruding branches / to the most holy patriarch Giovanni Gualberto / [...] he bent the branches for lodging / and placed the flowers and plants out of reverence / and in a wonderful way, under the roots / made a spring gush forth [...] (Translated by Giulio Dei from "Conoscere Vallombrosa")
This monumental tree is a shoot born from the original plant about 150 years ago. Today it has a trunk circumference of 380 cm and a height of 22 m. You can get to it along the road leading to the Paradisino (Hermitage of Le Celle).
For the detailed itinerary of the Chapel Circuit, refer to the guide in the previous item.
1.
The Great Beech Tree of Prato in Marcaccio
The Great Beech Tree of Prato in Marcaccio - Credit: Ufficio Ambiente Comune di Reggello
The Faggione, or Great Beech Tree, stands thirty meters tall, with a trunk circumference of 5 meters, in the Forest of Sant’Antonio, at an altitude of 1076 meters. It can be reached on foot, along a circular trail about 5 km long, from Case di Sant’Antonio, in the heart of the forest. The enormous size of this century-old, monumental tree is the result of the union of two large trees, making it the largest beech tree in Pratomagno.
The historic park of Sammezzano, in Leccio, extends across about 65 hectares around the renowned castle built by Ferdinando Panciatichi Ximenes d'Aragona, whose genius also included botany. In fact, he introduced several redwood trees and the best known today is the one called the twin, because of its double trunk(Sequoia sempervirens). With its height of over 50 meters, it is part of the small circle of "150 trees of exceptional environmental or monumental value". There are also two other monumental trees in the same park: a Lawson's Cypress and a Giant Redwood (Sequoiadendron giganteum).
The park and the castle are private property; however, it is possible to admire the Twin Redwood by taking the R 21 trail from the town of Leccio to the Marnia Valley.
1.
The Experimental Arboreta
The Experimental Arboreta of Vallombrosa - Credit: Comune di Reggello
A Giant Redwood and a Lambert Pine are the two monumental trees inside the Experimental Arboreta. We are back in Vallombrosa, not far from the Abbey. The Arboreta - among the best known in Europe - are a botanical collection created in 1869 to allow students at the Royal Forestry Institute to experiment with and study trees from other parts of the world. Today, it is possible to visit a large part of it using the guide of the Biodiversity of Vallombrosa Carabinieri, by booking (info: 043606.001@carabinieri.it) and enjoy a journey full of curious facts. For example, do you know why this particular Lambert Pine was nicknamed Nazareno? ...and have you ever seen one if its strobili (pine cones)? You will be amazed!
For more in-depth knowledge, we recommend the popular and hiking guide "Vallombrosa. A visit through history, territory and environment," Giovanni Susini, 2019.
Before setting off into the woods, always remember to check the trail and weather conditions or choose an excursion with an Environmental Hiking Guide. Reggello's trails are indicated in the Trail Map of the Province of Florence CAI 03 - Florence and Val di Sieve.
