The Pines of Rome

Imagine the landscape of Rome: a sunny day, hills, old Italian houses and mansions, statues of ancient Roman emperors, and in the distance the Colosseum... You won't even remember about a pine tree, but in fact pines are an integral part of Rome.

Yes, this blog will be dedicated to the tree. And why not! 

To begin with, what is this tree?

Pinia, or Italian stone pine, or Mediterranean stone pine, or just stone pine, or umbrella pine, and in general the scientific name Pinus pinea is a coniferous tree (oh, it's amazing, like any pine). A rather small, adult tree reaches an average of 10-20 meters, although some may outgrow their fellows and reach more than 25 meters.

The crown of the line changes over the years: in youth it is spherical, mature pines has a lush crown, and adult — flatter and umbrella-shaped.

Pinia is a lover of the warm Mediterranean climate — the homeland of wild pinias in Italy, Spain and Portugal. Isolated populations are also found on the coasts of the Aegean and Adriatic Seas in Croatia, Greece, Albania and Turkey, as well as France.

How why? Think about it — it's so beautiful! Elegant, with an unusual and spectacular shape!

Stone pine was planted as an ornamental plant by the Etruscans, and the inhabitants of Mesopotamia decorated furniture with its cones.

Naturally, the ancient Romans did not overlook the pine tree, too, planted it in cities, parks and along roads. Later, a beautiful tree began to be grown everywhere: they fell in love with it in the Ottoman Empire, Provence, Crimea, and later in Australia, Georgia, California, Atlantic Coast of the USA, South Africa and much more....

By the way, in South Africa, pinia liked this country so much that there it spread beyond the cities and became a dangerous invasive species, but this is rather an exception, given how wide the geography of the distribution of this pine is. Moreover, she herself also suffers from pests imported from the USA.

Also, pine is an ideal tree for bonsai, I think you know about this culture.

Pinya is an integral part of Italian culture, like maple in Canada or cedar in Lebanon. 
Let's start with the trump card. Did you know that pinia is Pinocchio's mother? By the way, it's easy to trace (especially when you already know this fact), because the words are of the same root. 

Let's touch on what the Italians are incomparable in — cooking. Pine nuts are one of the ingredients of the famous pesto sauce along with parmesan, basil and olive oil.

 And, I repeat, pine trees are an integral part of the landscape of Rome. Pines adorn almost every avenue and park in Rome, and I dare say that without this pine, Rome would have lost a lot of its charm.

The Italian composer Ottorino Respighi dedicated a symphony to the Great Pines under the title "The Pines of Rome" proper. This is one of the parts of Respighi's musical triptych about Rome, which premiered in 1924. You can listen this symphony here, but if you don't know the symphony lasts more than 20 minutes (like the rest of the symphonies), in case you regret spending so much time.

By the way, If you have watched Fantas 2000, then you may recognize the title of the work. However, instead of the beauties of Rome, Disney displayed the flight of humpback whales (although the Sacred Spring, instead of sacrificial rites, generally became an epic about dinosaurs).

Today we have learned a little more about perhaps what we have never been interested in — about the tree - the symbol of Rome, Italy and the entire Italian people. I thought that pinya is just a stunning decoration of the Eternal City, but no, look how deeply it has taken root in the culture and how important it really is.

I want to say thank you for reading! I hope you have learned at least a little new for yourself.