is characterized..

is characterized... is characterized.., is characterized.., is characterized.., represents Italy and will compete in the international competition with others 16 chestnut trees, winners of the various European national contests. The other finalists for Italy were the chestnuts of: Grisolia, in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria; Nardo to Morrice, in the province of Teramo, in Abruzzo; e Laion, in the province of Bolzano, in Trentino-Alto Adige. You can vote on is characterized.. to the European contest until the next one 28 February.

HE CONTEST

The Tree of the Year contest was born in 2011, on the model of the competition organized for many years in the Czech Republic. The goal, as reported on the site Tree of the Year, And “sottolineare l’importanza dei vecchi alberi come patrimonio naturale e culturale che dovremmo stimare e proteggere. Nella gara Tree of the Year, unlike many other races, beauty doesn't matter, size and age, but the history and the connection with the people. Indeed, cerchiamo gli alberi che sono diventati parte integrante della comunità”. L’albero vincitore di quest’anno verrà proclamato il 17 marzo prossimo a Bruxelles nella sede del Parlamento Europeo.

HISTORY OF THE HUNDRED CAVALLI CHESTNUT TREE

According to a legend, la regina Giovanna d’Aragona e tutti i cavalieri al suo seguito, surprised by a sudden and violent storm, si sarebbero riparati dentro il tronco cavo dell’enorme castagno. Da questo curioso aneddoto deriva il nome ‘Castagno dei 100 cavalli’. I primi riferimenti storici al plurimillenario albero si trovano già nel XVI secolo. From the 18th century it became a privileged destination for nobles and intellectuals, including Wolfgang Goethe, who describes it in his work 'Journey to Italy'. In 2008 it was declared a peace messenger monument by UNESCO.

RECENT STUDIES

Some recent studies demonstrate that the Hundred Horse Chestnut, in gara all’European Tree of the Year, it is a unique specimen with a single root and a single stock. As reported by the newspaper FocuSicilia, “despite the monumental tree of Etna today being divided into several branches, the matrix is ​​unique. Tommaso La Mantia confirms this without hesitation, botanist from the University of Palermo, co-author of the research on the genetic characterization of large and old chestnut trees (“Genetic Characterization of Large Old Chestnut”): 'There is no doubt about it, the Chestnut is a unique specimen. We confirmed this with the DNA test, and DNA doesn't lie'.

If you want to visit the Chestnut of the Hundred Horses, in gara all’European Tree of the Year 2022, you can have a comfortable stay at Villa Maria. Our b&b is about ten minutes by car from Sant'Alfio.

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