Only 4 plane trees out of the 12 bicentennial trees still in good condition, the town council decides of all felling to put new trees. 30/11 and 01/12 2015
History of Plane Trees
A native to Persia, Plane trees made their debut in the Mediterranean at the beginning of the Greek civilisation. On being imported to Rome, Pliny the Elder, who later died during the Mount Vesuvius eruption trying to save his friends, noted that it was very unusual for a tree to be appreciated solely for its shade (they are non fruit bearing) and he recalled how the Gauls honoured their Plane trees with red wine.
The Trojan Horse was reportedly carved out of the wood of Plane trees.
Over the centuries, the beauty of these dappled trees has not been lost on writers, poets and artists either. Plato included a Plane tree as part of his literary scenery in the dialogue Phaedrus with Socrates about love, madness and the immortality of the soul. Artists like Van Gogh enjoyed painting under them, being sheltered from the scorching sun.