People everywhere associate the cypress tree with Italy. The Etruscans, who were present in Italy for at least 500 years, marked their gardens and cemeteries with it. When the Romans stole their culture and destroyed their civilization, they also planted the Etruscans’ favorite tree in their own gardens. 
Perhaps the largest and oldest living tree of any kind is the gigantic cypress tree in Soma, Lombardy. It is thought to have been planted in the year of the birth of Christ, and is looked upon with great reverence. More than 120 feet in height, its trunk is twenty-three feet round. In the Italian climate, a cypress tree’s average height after forty years may be as tall as fifty or sixty feet.
From mediaeval times the coffins of the Popes were made of cypress wood, at least in part; and it is rumored that the doors of St. Peter’s were also made of this wood.
I’ve asked around why Cypress trees are planted in cemeteries. Practicality tells me it’s because its roots grow straight down and won’t disturb anything around it, but lovers of the Italian landscape tell me that the wood is so strongly scented that the tree has been planted around houses, churches and cemeteries in Italy for centuries. Italians believed that the air was “freshened” by the tree, giving rise to the quintessential “Italian landscape.”
-- Written by Evanne Brandon Diner (see bio), chronicler of local village life in Northern Lazio, and central Italy property restoration and purchasing consultant (www.lavventuraitalia.com)
August 6th, 2009 at 9:26 am
In my region of Australia ,many irrigated farms have planted countless thousands of cypresses as boundary markers .A beautiful sight when driving through the area but nothing to compare with the historical cypresses of Italy .
August 6th, 2009 at 10:19 am
I giardini sono una meraviglia, ma li convinca a aprirli di sera.Le mie figlie si sono innamorate della Tuscia e anche di Bomarzo.
August 6th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Lovely and informative! Thanks so much!
August 6th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Dear Eva !
This is great. I love your articels :)
Marie Elina
August 6th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
I enjoyed this article very much and would now like to know more about the umbrella pines.
August 6th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
Again many thanks for all the lovely articles and photos of the most beautiful country I’ve ever visited. Have a great vacation and I am looking forward to September and the rest of the year.
Antoinette Quesada
August 6th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Wonderful article. Thanks! However, regarding oldest living trees, Bristlecone Pines in the White Mountains on the California/Nevada border in North America have been tree ring dated at over 4,000 years, and still living !!!
Ciao.
August 6th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Hi,
I have always wondered why there are so many cypress trees in cemeteries. In my little town of Villa S. Lucia in Abruzzo, there are tall, beautiful ones in the local cemetery. Thank you for answering my questions.
August 6th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Italian cypresses are indeed beautiful trees. Unfortunately, for the accuracy of the article, they are not even half the height of giant sequoias which approach 300′ and are also 2000+ years old. That said, the article is still a great reminder of Italy’s natural wonders.
August 6th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
I have been waiting for this article as I have been mystified by cypresses I have seen in Italy. And the photographs are breathtaking.
August 6th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
I have been waiting for this article for months…cypresses are so beautiful when seen in person, in photograhs, and in the movies. The included photos were breathtaking.
August 6th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
I have so enjoyed your informative and amusing articles……..
the Italian colloquial phrases you use in context and translate are particularly special to me.
…have a nice vacation………E
August 7th, 2009 at 12:10 am
Really enjoyed the articolo, Eva, please keep up the good work.
how about some pieces on Lazio.
Thanks
August 7th, 2009 at 12:24 am
I would have thought your research would be better. The Bristlecone trees of the American Rockies are older by far, as are some of the Sequoias of California.
cml
August 7th, 2009 at 1:57 am
All my life I have loved the Italian cypress. I am surprised the article did not include a photo of the oldest cypress tree in Lombardy. However, do try to be a little better on your research
CR
August 7th, 2009 at 8:44 am
Thanks for the corrections, and don’t shoot the messenger. That’s GB, who is the real treasure. My research surely must be from European sources!
Evanne
August 10th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Thanks Evanne – a note as elegant as the tree itself. Beautiful photos. best, Penny
August 11th, 2009 at 3:27 am
Permit me to offer a counterview. The Romans did not “steal” Etruscan culture, nor did the Romans “destroy” Etruscan civilization.
If I steal from someone, that person has nothing left of the thing stolen. The Romans “adopted, mimiced” significant aspects of Etruscan culture while leaving that culture entact.
The Romans did not “destroy” Etruscan civilization. If I destroy something, there is nothing left of that thing. The Romans allowed Etruscan civilization over many generations to fall of its own weight.In fact as late as the mid 16th century many Roman noble families (think Colonna) tried mightly to date their ancestry to the Etruscans.
August 13th, 2009 at 1:06 am
Thanks Joseph.
December 4th, 2009 at 1:54 am
KB, are the gardens of Tivoli still “running?” If so, it would make a great story. In my day that’s where couples went after or before their wedding. How romantic. No nicer place on a hot summer day in Rome.
March 7th, 2010 at 4:39 am
when i think of my beloved tuscany, it is never without the vision of cypress. these trees are truly the epitome of italy and i just love them. near castellina-in-chianti, there is a one of a kind natural cypress grove, the “sant agnese forest reserve”, which is breathtaking. it dates back about 1000 years. one of my favorite spots!