The Bald Cypresses of the Montanelli Gardens Indro Montanelli Gardens

The gardens, dedicated in 2002 to the journalist Indro Montanelli, were the first public park created in Milan during the Habsburg era.

Completed in 1784, they are now, at 172,000 square metres, a beautiful green area full of artistic monuments and valuable trees. Beloved by the Milanese right from the start, the gardens have often been a favourite place to spend leisure time, also thanks to the presence of the Planetarium and the Museum of Natural Sciences. In the past, the city zoo was also located in the park. Within such an extensive historical park, there can be no shortage of trees that, in over two centuries of life, have reached exceptional dimensions.

Truly astonishing is the bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) at the edge of the artificial pond. With a trunk circumference of more than 7 metres (diameter 230 cm) and a height of 25 metres, it is to be considered the largest taxodium in Lombardy. The trees of this species, native to the swamps of Florida, are very distinctive and aesthetically pleasing. With a pyramidal habit typical of many conifers, they lose their needles in autumn after a period characterised by a striking reddish colouring of the foliage. They also have peculiar root protuberances, called pneumatophores, which appear as many small wooden columns emerging from the soil; they are useful for oxygenating the plant during periods of soil flooding.

A green monument that is accessible to the public during park opening hours.

(Ph: Luca Pernechele)