The municipal territory of Goito is included in Mincio Park, a regional protected area of over 15,000 hectares that follows the course of the river from Lake Garda to the Po.

Among the many natural treasures managed by the organisation is Bertone Park, which is also used as a reintroduction centre for the white stork. Created from a remnant Po Valley lowland forest (a rare testimony to the immense wooded areas that once covered the plain), it was transformed into a romantic garden in the 19th century. Among the sumptuous neoclassical noble buildings, artificial ponds and exotic plants, the real star of the park is a magnificent Ginkgo biloba. At 40 metres high, it is believed to be the tallest specimen of the species in Italy.

It is really exciting to stand in front of its large, wrinkled trunk with a circumference of 4.5 metres (diameter 145 cm), especially in the autumn months when the foliage turns yellow. The tree, considered sacred in the East, holds a unique charm. So tough that it withstood the nuclear bombardment of Hiroshima and so ancient that it is believed to be a living fossil, the Ginkgo is an iconic tree, not least because of the particular shape of its leaves. It was by observing them that the poet Goethe composed verses (addressing them to his lover Marianne Jung in a letter also containing a leaf), in which he reflects on the duplicity of the human soul. 

A green monument that is accessible to the public during park opening hours.
 

(Ph: Laura Capellini)