Olmo di Cocconato

A remarkably sized tree which stands in a beautiful panoramic spot at the end of Via degli Olmi, on the top of a hill surrounded by meadows. This specimen belongs to a species which was decimated in the late 1960s by graphiosis (Dutch elm disease). Following the epidemic, most trees of this species survive the juvenile stage either as suckers and offshoots, while old specimens, like this one in Cocconato, are very rare and therefore worthy of protection and attention. The wood of this tree used to be sought after for numerous uses, such as the construction of farming tools, supports for cannon shafts and pilings, thanks to its strength and suppleness.