The Horse Chestnuts of Sant'Agostino, Triora

Triora is famous for its witches. In 1588 women of this mountain village were accused of witchcraft, inquisitors came from Genoa, and the trials dragged on for years; the village is known as the site of the last witch trials held in Italy, and keeps the story alive with a museum and a festival. Its trees are a quieter reason to come. Two horse chestnuts stand by the church of Sant'Agostino, and Italy's national list of monumental trees records both: one 3.9 metres round and 24.5 metres tall, the other 3.62 metres round and 28 metres tall. That is tall for trees in a mountain village. The horse chestnut comes from the mountains of the Balkans and was planted all over Europe for its shade and its spring candles of white flowers, which come out here in May. In autumn the shiny brown conkers drop from their spiky cases, and the leaves turn yellow and rust. A third listed horse chestnut stands at the church of San Bernardino, a few hundred metres away. Nobody has published how old any of them are. If you know, tell us. They stand by a church and cost nothing to see.