The Aleppo Pines of San Pantaleo

Two Aleppo pines stand at the doorstep of one of Sardinia's most important Romanesque churches, in the small town of Dolianova, about 23 minutes from Cagliari by regional train. The larger, 3.4 metres round and just under 20 metres tall, grows in the open Piazza San Pantaleo, facing the cathedral's stone facade. The second, a metre smaller round, stands inside the sagrato, the walled forecourt where the cathedral keeps its own patch of ground. The Concattedrale di San Pantaleo behind them was built between the early 1100s and 1289, one of the oldest and most complete Romanesque buildings on the island, its sandstone walls carved with the geometric and animal motifs typical of the period. The pines are far younger: Dolianova's own register puts each at under a century old, but they have grown up in the shadow of a building that predates them by 800 years, and the town has designated both as protected natural landmarks in their own right. Both stand on open, unticketed ground, which the town's own listing describes in as many words as free and open to everyone. A short detour off any Cagliari itinerary, and a chance to see Italy's national register of monumental trees include something other than a giant.