The Noble Courtyard

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In this area, we can observe three magnificent specimens of Taxodium distichum or Bald Cypress, a tree that is also a distinctive feature in the gardens designed by the great Prussian landscape architect Xavier Kurten, gardener and royal servant and creator of the Royal Castle Park in Racconigi, who was occasionally “lent out” by the king to his most distinguished subjects.

It is not a true cypress but an impressive tree more akin to the majestic sequoias. Originating in America, it grows mostly in the misty swamps of the southeastern United States. The oldest specimen is believed to have exceeded 1,000 years of age. It is a deciduous conifer, hence the common name “bald,” which refers to its characteristic of shedding needle-like leaves in winter; in autumn, towards the end of November, the needles turn a beautiful red-brown colour. The base of the trunk has a bell-shaped form reminiscent of an elephant’s foot, the straight trunk, and soft, copper-colored bark that grays with age are pleasing to the eye and soft as a feather to the touch and are often colored green by moss.

It generally grows in wet, or water-rich areas, where it survives thanks to pneumatophores, special aerial roots that extend from the ground to provide oxygen to the plant, also seen here at the base of these trunks. This characteristic of the taxodium roots confirms that a small lake, which has since disappeared, once existed here, as depicted in an 1834 illustration of the park. In addition to the ones we see here, we will encounter another larger and solitary specimen at the end of our walk, which has been listed in the list of Monumental Trees in Italy for several years.