The cypress, an icon of the Tuscan landscape

Long lines of trees that wind through the sinuous curves of the hills, pairs of majestic plants that stand out as guardians of ancient churches or sanctuaries, perspectives of avenues outlined by tapered evergreens. When we see a cypress in a photograph, the connection to Tuscany is almost immediate, in particular to the countryside of the provinces of Siena and Florence. It is in fact, together with vines and olive trees, an essential element of the collective imagination that characterizes the Tuscan landscape. However, this has not always been the case, and that there is a hand of man can be easily understood from the regular arrangement in which they are placed in the landscape.

Cupressus sempervirens comes from Persia to central Italy thanks to the Greeks and Phoenicians, was spread by the Etruscans and Romans and elected as a decorative element in the 15th century with the development of the Italian garden. The clear contours, the dark color and the verticality favored its popularity, also helped by the excellent quality of the wood and a remarkable ability to adapt to rough terrain.

Its longevity (it can reach 500 years or more) has led it to become a symbol of eternity, its slender shape to be associated with life and fertility, so much so that it was planted near the house at the birth of a child. At the same time, its tendency towards the sky reconnects it to the idea of ​​contact between life and death, pain, reflection, eternal rest and cemeteries, but also to being planted at the borders, at crossroads, along the roads, at the entrance to properties, such as a landmark visible from afar.