written and posted by members of Lancashire Dead Good Poets' Society

Saturday 24 September 2022

Pining

Anyone fortunate enough to have visited Rome will have been struck by its distinctive stone pine trees, sometimes also called Roman pines or 'umbrella' trees on account of their tall slender trunks and flat canopies. The 'eternal city'  is estimated to have over 500,000 of them. They have lined the roads into Rome since the Republic was in its infancy over 2,000 years ago, though their popularity and spread within the streets and open spaces of the city dates back to the Italian Renaissance (late 15th and 16th centuries, sometimes referred to as the Cinquecento).

The stone pine (botanical name pinus pinea ) has been cultivated around the Mediterranean for at least six millennia and was introduced to Italy by the Greeks. As well as looking beautiful and providing much-needed shade, it is also the source of the pine nuts (pignoli ) used to make pesto and to garnish Italian salads, and according to Livy (writing at the tail-end of BC), the wood was used for ship-building, 'pinea ' thereby becoming an alternative word for ship. 

A stone pine has a lifespan of between 50 and 150 years, so the task of maintaining and replanting a population over many centuries is a significant civic undertaking. Quite why it became so popular in Rome (now synonymous with and a recognised symbol of the capital), is not well documented, but the love affair is a deep and enduring one and these beautiful and striking trees have long been an integral part of the landscape and spirit of the place.

Rome's famous 'umbrella' trees
It was assumed until a few years ago that stone pines would forever decorate the city's streets and parks, but recently Romans have begun to fret. The very pressing cause for concern is a parasitic insect, the pine tortoise scale (toumeyella parvicornis ), which was introduced accidentally into Italy in 2014 via a consignment of timber from the USA and has been spreading steadily northwards from Naples, decimating the pinewoods of Campania and Lazio until arriving in Rome five years later.

Diseases of trees are nothing new. We've become accustomed to losing large numbers of trees to Dutch Elm disease, Ash dieback, Horse Chestnut canker and Plane wilt. The more connected the world becomes, the easier and quicker it is for contagions to spread (as we found with Covid-19). In fact the poor stone pine is suffering from another affliction as well, an earlier parasitic visitor from the USA, the western conifer seed bug (leptoglossus occidentalis ) which arrived in the 1990s and feeds on the sap of the developing pine cones, threatening not only Italy's pine nut industry but also the tree's ability to propagate itself.

Worrying though the advance of the conifer seed bug is, attention is now focussed on the threat being posed by the tortoise scale bug to Rome's famous 'umbrella' trees, for the voracious parasite is quite capable of killing off a stone pine in two or three years. Many of Rome's trees are suffering from the pest. An initial large-scale felling of infected trees caused an uproar and so a fund was set up to inoculate stone pines in the hope of stemming the parasite's advance, for the city would be robbed of much character if the trees all die off.

an integral part of the landscape
There was much cynical party political point scoring at the outset of the campaign to save the trees, but the president has allocated €500,000 to the project that seeks to inject the trunks of trees with a treatment to fight the scabrous parasite and thus preserve "this natural and cultural part of the city's heritage." 

Although mobilisation in this war between new world fauna and old world flora was hampered by the arrival of Covid, the associated lockdown, and what some see as typical Italian inefficiency, the fight to save the stone pines is well under way now. And as a back-up, operation Ossigeno (oxygen) is creating nurseries of thousands of new trees should the worst happen. Let us hope that Romans are not left pining for their loss.

I've written a few poems that take playful liberties with time and history (introducing cigars into ancient Greece, early radar into Roman Britain, making valentine cards available to stone-age Romeos et cetera ) and I've done it again with this latest from the imaginarium, ostensibly about planting trees in renaissance Italy. Enjoy.

Cinquecento
Buonarroti's voice on the answerphone:
Do you want to do some ceiling Saturday?
Raffa hits delete, drops a couple of ice cubes
into his glass of red. They hiss and splinter
much like his head after long hours spent
trying to get Olimpia's breasts to look right.

He's no intention of spending this week-end
up a scaffold on his back thanks all the same,
on a better offer from his pal Sagnallo. Tony
lent him a hand to renovate the workshop so 
now's time to return the favour helping plant 
five hundred stone pine saplings for a Count.

Villa d'Este promises fresh air, a decent bed
and maybe the chance to rekindle his affair
with the flame-haired servant in the segreto.
Happy memories. If lucky, he could pick up
a commission. Another statue on the books
would see him comfortably through summer

and the Sistine Chapel isn't going anywhere.
Raffa swills down a slice of greasy pizza, 
throws some clothes in a bag, lights a spliff,
climbs into his trusty marbled Cinquecento
and roars away into Rome's petrol dusk. If 
he steps on it he'll make Tivoli by midnight.


beautiful and striking stone pines
I intend to plant a tree in my re-vamped Blackpool back garden next spring. It won't be anything as stunning as a stone pine. That would be too big and would look strangely out of place on its own. A fig or an olive tree is more likely, and if the climate in the jewel of the north remains mild over the next few years, I look forward to it prospering. I shall certainly take a leaf out of the new King's book and talk to it.

Thanks for reading, S ;-)

64 comments:

Jeanie Buckingham said...

Love the poem.

Ross Madden said...

Roman pines are amazing to look at. We visited in 2012. I was told lots of them had been planted on the orders of Mussolini. Surprised he wasn't hung from one. Another super blog and poem, well done. 👏

Emily Blythe said...

Very interesting about the plight of stone pines. I hope the cure works. What a poem!

Nina Rizzo said...

Thank you for that. I live in Sicily and have only been to Rome for a day!!!

Max Page said...

A fascinating read. I've seen those pine trees in lots of places in southern Italy. They are a lovely sight. I never realised they were specially planted all over Rome. Now excuse my cynicism but isn't it going to cost a hell of a lot more than €1 a tree to inoculate half a million of them against this parasite? As for the poem, fabulous. I wish I had your imagination.

Boz said...

Genius poem, la! 🍕🍕🍕

Rod Downey said...

I googled Villa d'Este. It's a Tivoli. Why am I not surprised? 🤣

Nigella D said...

Was sad to read about those beautiful trees, but your poem restored a smile.

Carey Jones said...

I was half-expecting Donatello and crew to make an appearance. Clever, teasing poetry and yes, a great shame about those Roman pines. I hope they can be saved. FYI London's plane trees are facing a similar parasitic threat (canker stain), but maybe they are not considered symbolic enough!

Saskia Parker said...

Rome is one place I'd really like to go. Sad to hear about the parasites but I loved your clever poem (and what is a segreto?) ❤️

Stu Hodges said...

Happily thriving for 2000 years and then a double-whammy. Invasion by not one but two vicious American parasites! What surprises me is that I'd been led to believe that parasites co-exist with their host in the interests of both parties surviving. I wonder why that's not the case with this tortoise scale thingy. Kudos for the highly original poem. 👏👏👏

Debbie Laing said...

Wow. Instructive blog about the pine trees (great photographs) but that poem is brilliant Steve.

Mark II Ford said...

Clever clever clever - wish I'd written Cinquecento!

Roy Wilson said...

A beautifully written take on theme. Great poem! 👍

Tim Collins said...

A really interesting article. I've seen those trees in southern Italy, very distinctive. I liked the way you described what is happening as a "war between new world fauna and old world flora". Fingers crossed that the campaign to save the trees is successful. You'd think the American branch of the mafia might contribute to the fund ;D

Sophie Pope said...

Now I want to go to Rome. Great blog, ingenious poem.👏

Jambo said...

Cowabunga dude!😂

Jen McDonagh said...

Reading that made me nostalgic for Rome. We went there on our honeymoon. I can't say I remember the trees especially but I was sad to hear about what is happening to them. I absolutely love your latest poem.

Hannah Wrigley said...

Fascinating reportage Steve. I would be majorly pissed off if pesto were to disappear as a result of parasites in the pine trees. I loved your ingenious poem. 💚

Beth Randle said...

Thanks for this. I didn't realise the umbrella pine was a symbol of Rome, but they are in nearly every picture you see of the city.

Peter Fountain said...

Well done Steve. Keep taking imaginative liberties with time and history, the results are never less than inspired. 👏

Seb Politov said...

I enjoyed your poem. Very creative. As for Roman pines, well maybe the new fascist prime minister of Italy will plant a whole lot more (just like Mussolini back in the early 1930s). And if the country's pine kernel harvests are failing, be sure China will fill the gap in the market.

Valerie Marchant said...

A fascinating blog and a super poem.

Francesca Marrone said...

It is very sad.

Anonymous said...

They are magnificent trees and would be a great loss. I loved your poem.

Billy Banter said...

"Have pity on the city, man it's in trouble!" - shout out to Turtle Power! 😂 😂 😂

Andy D. said...

Fabulous poem, so many great lines. Lives of the Artists! 🤣

Jade Keillor said...

I love your blogs! 👏

Josh Barrett said...

An excellent post. Earthworld is an evolving battlefield. One day the parasites will go too far! Loved the ingenious poem mate.

Sahra Carezel said...

Such a fascinating read. The trees are beautiful and I love the poem. ❤️

Ben Templeton said...

Thanks for sharing Steve. The poem works for me. Very well done.

Dominic Mahon said...

"Do you want to do some ceiling Saturday?" Hilarious, I love it. What a great idea for a poem. Sorry to hear about Rome's pines though.

Grant Trescothick said...

I love this blog and esp. your Cinquecento poem Steve. First class. I'm supposing that's the original Tivoli garden.

Dan Francisco said...

You knocked it out of the park with the poem. (Or should I say renaissance park? LOL) Sorry to read that my country is the cause of the stone pine plague.

Mitch Carragher said...

What a great blog and poem. Well done Steve.

Mary Jane Evans said...

It is a shame about those beautiful and iconic trees. I love the way you've built an intriguing poem around "helping plant five hundred stone pine saplings". Cinquecento is an inspired leap of imagination. 👏

Deke Hughes said...

Cinquecento - really very good. 👍

Harry Lennon said...

I can only echo others. A shame about the trees but really well done with the poem.

Rick Shaw said...

A fascinating read. I love the clever poem. Thanks for the share.

Tif Kellaway said...

Half a million stone pines is a lot of trees! What a drastic change if they all had to be chopped down! Good luck project Oxygen. I loved the poem, clever and amusing.

Vic Sourzak said...

What a lovely, caring post topped off with a cracking poem. Thoroughly entertaining. 👏

terry quinn said...

What a fascinating article. Thank you Steve. It was all completely new to me.

And a splendid poem. The imaginarium working overtime.

Tom Shaw said...

Brilliant!

Ruth Maxwell said...

What a fascinating post. I've seen those umbrella trees in southern Italy. Such a shame. However, I loved your clever poem. Brilliantly done.

Marianne Seymour said...

Informative, entertaining and such a clever poem. I loved it.

Danny The Man Mannion said...

Simply great writing and a beautifully inventive poem. Class!

Demelza Hoyle said...

A fascinating post and a really entertaining poem.

K0NR&D said...

Loved the poem, man.

Ruthie Milton said...

It's a shame the pine trees are threatened by parasites, and for once climate change isn't the villain. I loved your poem, so witty. ❤️

Fin Taverner said...

Lovely trees, such a shame. I hope the remedy works. As for Cinquecento - LOL, brilliant stuff.🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕

Tanya Green said...

I love Rome. Your news about the trees saddened me - hope they survive. I thought your poem was very clever. 👏

Robbie Brown said...

Of course I know the Tivoli Gardens are in Copenhagen (I've been there) and you can't drive from Rome to Copenhagen in an evening! But then I discovered that Copenhagen had named its park after the original near Rome... all power to your blog which educates as well as entertains. I had to look up segreto as well. So now I'm up to speed (LOL). And what a brilliant poem. Top marks sir.

Steve Rowland said...

I'm pleased this eco-blog and poem have gone over so well. Apparently the city of Rome has injected all of the 55,000 pine trees within its jurisdiction but the balance of the 300,000 are on private lands or owned by other agencies and their fate is either sealed or undetermined. Some 20,000 trees are already dead and being felled.

Just FYI, Tivoli near Rome was the original renaissance garden. Jardin du Tivoli was created in Paris as a copy and the Copenhagen Tivoli was in fact named after the French one (not the Italian).

Thanks everyone for the great comments. The poem will appear in my second collection at some point.

Jared Littowski said...

Fascinating post and what a fun poem.

Anonymous said...

A slice of pizza and glass of wine to you, Mr R. Well-deserved, too. 👏

Garth Kane said...

Great post, beautifully written, instructive and that's one hell of a poem. I loved it.

Will Griffin said...

An interesting insight into how vulnerable we are when so easily connected globally (and diseases spread with little time for resistance to develop). That flight of fancy of a poem is priceless, well done!

Jerald Morgan said...

I'm impressed by the fact that Romans have been replacing their population of umbrella pines every hundred years or so for two millennia. That is quite something, as is your clever Cinquecento. Brilliant blogging and poetry.

Vanessa Farley McEntire said...

A commendably readable piece about Rome's endangered pine trees and an audaciously amusing poem.

Pauline Monroe said...

Fascinating reportage on those Roman pines and I loved the poem.

Brett Cooper said...

That poem's a belter! 👏

Motormouth said...

Banging!

Ron Gilbert said...

Most interesting about Rome's stricken pines and what a fabulous poem.

Constance Doller said...

Congratulations on a beautifully written post. It was a fascinating read and your witty poem is fabulous (literally).