A number of readers returning from visits to Tuscany south of Siena have asked me about
the origin of those photogenic glades of cypress trees in the Val d'Orcia. I have
enthused about the Val d'Orcia more than once in this blog and for photographers (and others), among the visual attractions of the
Val d'Orcia are the cypress trees artfully planted in rows on either side of roads leading up to isolated farmhouses and the small clusters of cypresses standing alone among the crops on otherwise bare hillsides. Why are they there?
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Probably the most photographed glade of cypress trees in the whole world,
located between San Quirico d'Orcia and Montalcino in the Val d'Orcia of Tuscany, Italy. |
These clusters of cypresses where, in fact, planted as bird traps. Among the trees, some of the branches and twigs, as well as artificial perches, were coated with birdlime, a sticky substance that prevents small birds flying away once they have landed on it. Italian birdlime was made by a complicated process of boiling and pounding from mistletoe berries. These birds, especially blackbirds and thrushes, were harvested as often as twice a day during the season and provided a significant part of the protein diet of the poor farmers who struggled to make a living from the clay soil here (the famous
crete senesi). As in many parts of the world, trapping birds using birdlime has long been prohibited in Italy but these beautiful cypress glades remain, to the delight of visitors to this part of Tuscany.
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| The Strada di Valoresi as seen from from Villa La Foce |
More about the Val d'Orcia.
More about “Villa La Foce” and Iris Origo.
Recommended vacation accommodation in Chianti towns, villages and countryside.
Author: Anna Maria Baldini
