The Mahaleb Cherry of Contrada La Vaglia
age unknownSt Lucie Cherrypin approximate
This is the thinnest evidenced tree on our list, and the story says so plainly rather than dressing it up. A Mahaleb cherry, also called St Lucie cherry, stands somewhere near the junction of the SS7 Appia and a minor road on Matera's northern edge, in Contrada La Vaglia. The regional register lists it as a monumental tree, five metres tall, no girth recorded, no age given. Nobody has photographed it recently, and this pass could not confirm it is even still standing. What tips it from unlisted to published is a small piece of evidence: the register flags this tree urban, the same flag it gives Matera's roadside stone pine on Viale Aldo Moro, and different from the flag on the eleven masseria and jazzo trees nearby that sit on private working farms and stay off this list. Mapping data shows no building or private land over the coordinate, only open ground near the old road into Matera from the north, which points toward a public roadside tree rather than one behind a farm gate. The species itself has left its mark on the city: Matera's Lanera district takes its name from this cherry. That is a fact about the neighbourhood, not about this individual tree, and the two should not be confused. If you have stood in Contrada La Vaglia and seen this tree, or know it is gone, tell us. This entry exists to be corrected.
The button above opens directions in your maps app. About 1.7 km / roughly a 20-25 minute walk, or a short drive, north of Piazza Vittorio Veneto along the SS7 Appia (the historic road into Matera from the north). No dedicated public transport stop confirmed at this exact point.
The pin marks the right spot roughly, not the tree itself. It stands here, but we have not confirmed the precise position on the ground yet. Know exactly where it is?
- Species
- St Lucie Cherry (Prunus mahaleb)
- Age estimate
- Location
- Contrada La Vaglia, near Strada Statale 7 Appia, Matera (San Pardo / La Vaglia, on the SS7 Appia north of the centre, about 1.7 km from Piazza Vittorio Veneto)
- Access
- Not confirmed in detail, but the evidence points to a roadside/urban setting rather than private farmland: unlike this register's six masseria and jazzo entries (all flagged non-urban and blocked as private working farms), this tree is flagged 'urban' in the same register, sits right beside the SS7 Appia state road on the northern edge of town, and OSM shows no building or private-land polygon over the spot. No fence or gate is recorded either way. Treat as likely visible/reachable from the public roadside on the SS7 Appia near Contrada La Vaglia; a reader who visits is the best way to settle it precisely.
- Getting there
- About 1.7 km / roughly a 20-25 minute walk, or a short drive, north of Piazza Vittorio Veneto along the SS7 Appia (the historic road into Matera from the north). No dedicated public transport stop confirmed at this exact point.
Trees nearby
Ticking this one off, walks past several more, and your collection growing city by city: that is the Ancient Trees app.
Get the appThis page was researched from a distance. If you know this tree, you know things we do not: the species, the age, the size, whether the photo shows the right tree, or that it is gone. Every field on this page can be corrected.
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