Suspicious Damage to Century-Old Cypress Trees Sparks City Investigation
The tree-lined avenue leading to the town’s cemetery has been halved over time. Along the steep path that leads to the graveyard, only a handful of the tall cypress trees, which gave the street its name, remain. These nearly century-old plants have suddenly withered and, as a result, have been cut down by municipal workers.
An epidemic, one might comment, which unfortunately seems endless: two additional plants show clear signs of deterioration. A normal sign of aging, according to some distracted passersby, but a more careful analysis reveals that the truth is quite different.
Investigations and Suspicion
Among the first to become suspicious was City Councilor Carlo Chincarini. What caught the public official’s attention was the sight of a now completely devoid of cypress trees avenue, only partially on one side of the narrow street opposite the parish church. A peculiar situation that is hard to attribute to mere coincidence.
It was enough to carefully examine the remaining plant in the suspected section to make the grim discovery. “At a height of nearly two meters, the bark of the cypress has been cut,” explains Carlo Chincarini, ready to guide the journalist. The same method was used on other plants, clearly ruling out accidental damage.
“The intent to damage is obvious, and it’s evident not only from the marks around the trunk. Whoever did this ‘work’ must have acted at night, using a ladder,” continues Chincarini, who last winter had overseen the felling of two withered pines. “Initially, we didn’t consider the matter very seriously, thinking it was due to a widespread disease that had led the previous administration to successfully intervene on most of the evergreens. The entire operation cost around six million euros.”
Consequences and Ongoing Investigations
The clear signs of mutilation on the plants prompted the municipal police to file a report against unknown individuals. “We notified the local Carabinieri station about this issue about ten days ago,” comments Commander Luigi Bresaola. “It’s now up to the authorities to conduct the investigation and shed light on this story.”
“Unfortunately, based on conversations with residents in the area,” states the Carabinieri station, “no leads or reports have emerged that could turn the investigation. Making things more complicated, it is impossible to determine the exact day the bark was cut. For our part, the case is closed, but we will continue to monitor the avenue during night patrols.”