Yes, you read it right, the strawberry tree (or corbezzolo, as it’s known in the Belpaese) is considered one of our country’s symbols. It all started with the words of poet Giovanni Pascoli, representative of the Italian Decadentism, active between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.

Pascoli was the first to associate the strawberry tree with the Italian flag, making of it a symbol of national unity: in the ode Al Corbezzolo, Pascoli cites the tale of Pallas, son of Evander, who lost his life in Italy to protect Aeneas, ancestor of the founders of Rome – at least according to Virgil, of course.