Palm trees in Milan's Piazza Duomo: planting trees is what matters (photo)

Do the palm trees ruin the aesthetics of the place? They already existed at the end of the 19th century, and no one complained. Indeed, Milan has needed new trees for years, decades, and Claudio Abbado had demanded 90,000 as a condition for his return to the city. Finally, a square of this strategic importance cannot remain empty simply to commemorate its history and origins.

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Palm trees in Piazza Duomo in Milan

PALM TREES IN MILAN'S PIAZZA DUOMO –

Palm trees divide Milan. La città, and with it many authoritative urban planners, architects and landscape architects, is divided on the idea put forward by the municipal administration, and shared by the Superintendency, to create A small garden in Piazza Duomo. With some very special trees, palm trees in particular., which in much of Italy have died or are disappearing due to poor maintenance and the terrible weevil disease.

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PALM AND BANANA TREES IN MILAN'S PIAZZA DUOMO –

The opponents, even the most fervent, they have different motivations on their side. The aesthetics of the square, for example. And even the fact, as the authoritative landscape architect Paolo Pejrone writes, that those palm trees placed in front of the facade of the Cathedral would be in a square which by its nature was conceived and created with the harmony of . Then there are objections about the exotic nature of these trees, when instead we should focus on birches, mulberries and oaks.And not on palm trees, which are more suited to other environmental, historical, and cultural contexts. Finally, there are those who take advantage of this to slip into the indistinct sea of ​​political propaganda. and accuses Mayor Beppe Sala of thus sending the wrong message, one of excessive openness to immigrants, even to the point of colonization. Palm and banana trees equal foreign invaders, a paradigm of this type of protest.

I immediately dismiss the "political" objection. It makes no sense and is baseless to lump together such diverse issues as urban design and the fight against pollution with immigration restrictions. Pure demagogy that leaves little to be desired. Rather, here we are in the presence of a central theme in the life of Milan and our city: the urgent need to plant trees everywhere, including in Piazza Duomo in Milan which mean greenery, beauty, shade during the summer heat, a pleasant landscape for tourists and residents. But first and foremost clean AirI remember well the hypocritical chorus of approval with which the maestro's request was received. Claudio Abbado, ready to return to Milan as long as at least 90 trees were planted in the city. It seems like a frightening number, but in many cities, as we've also reported on the Non sprecare website, thousands of trees are planted every day, precisely because they serve a function that is not only aesthetic. No one dared to say "no, thanks" to Abbado, but then, with the usual Italian cunning, his request was forgotten. Archived. Obviously, I can't tell you whether Abbado would be in favor of palm trees in Piazza Duomo today, but knowing him quite well, I'm sure he would always be stubbornly convinced of the need to fill Milan, and not only, with trees.

THE PALM TREES THAT DIVIDE MILAN –

I don't have the expertise to say whether palm trees are the right trees for Piazza del Duomo, but there are certainly images that speak for themselves: they existed, right in Piazza Duomo in Milan, in the nineteenth century and at the beginning of the twentieth century. And no one cried scandalRather, Pejrone's idea of ​​preserving the "empty" square, as it was born, is absolutely respectable, in line with similar requests (the same issue was raised in Naples for Piazza Plebiscito: empty or embellished and filled with something?), but far, far removed from the reality of the times. From what cities today, like Milan, which is experiencing an extraordinary era of cosmopolitan metropolis growth, absolutely need: greenery, trees. To live, to breathe, to not squander the beauty of places. To be metropolises, small towns, or even villages with a high quality of life. And the mere act of planting trees, palm trees, or something else, in Piazza Duomo at least recalls this need and makes it real and current. Furthermore, if we were to reason with the now antiquated compass of the "empty" Piazza Duomo, we would have to ask other questions. Does it make sense to fill the square with events like the Festivalbar? Or like fashion shows? It makes sense, of course, because the city evolves, changes, grows, and transforms its features. And this happens in all the metropolises of the world (think of the daily controversies that arise in Paris or London over urban changes) that move forward, without disruption, but in step with the times. Not for an abstract goal of modernity, but only and always to improve the conditions and the very lives of the citizens and guests.

PALM TREES IN MILAN'S DUOMO SQUARE:

(Source images: Repubblica.it)

THE IMPORTANCE OF TREES IN THE CITY:

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