On the western shore of Lake Garda lies a wide gulf, where the town of Salò has been located since Roman times.

A very active centre both in the Middle Ages and in the events of the Risorgimento, it plays an important role in Italian history, especially for having become the seat of the Italian Social Republic during the World War II. Today, the beautiful lakeside village has a strong tourist vocation. Truly marvellous are the walks along the banks. The cemetery area, with a row of cypresses (Cupressus sempervirens) in all its splendour, is striking for its landscape value.

Lined up along the southern shore of the gulf, they are surprising in their beautiful bearing and size. The largest specimens, 133 of them, are those closest to the lake. The heights range over 25 metres, while the trunks exceed, in some cases, even 4 metres in circumference (maximum diameter 135 cm). Historically, cypresses are the trees most commonly found in cemetery areas because of their tapered evergreen foliage, which ideally reaches towards the Kingdom of Heaven, and because of their root system, which, by growing deep rather than horizontally, does not risk damaging the graves.

A green monument that is accessible to the public.

(Ph: Luca Pernechele)