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Palms near cathedral in Milan spark Italian fury
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THE sudden appearance of a cluster of palm trees next to Milan’s famous cathedral has sparked a row over the use of non-native plants beside an iconic Italian landmark.
Adding insult to injury for some botano-nationalists is the fact that the planting project has been sponsored by Starbucks, the US coffee giant preparing for an assault on an Italian market based on the nation’s cherished network of mostly independent bars.
The 42 palm trees, some of them 5 meters tall, are the first plants to be installed under a plan that also involves placing banana trees in the shadow of the 14th-Century Gothic cathedral, known as the Duomo.
“Plants in urban green spaces don’t necessarily have to be native, but planting these species in the Duomo Piazza seems like a neo-Gothic folly to me,” said Paolo Pejrone, a celebrated Italian architect and garden designer.
“Palms and bananas in Piazza Duomo! All we need now are camels and monkeys and we will really have Africa in Italy,” said Matteo Salvini, leader of the Northern League.
The far-right politician had already had his hackles raised by Starbucks’ reported suggestion it could employ thousands of African refugees in its future Italian outlets.
“As far as their coffee is concerned, I’ll be having mine somewhere else,” Salvini said.
Starbucks had the trees planted after winning a a competitive tender to renovate some of Milan’s green spaces.
But even center-left Mayor Giuseppe Sala did not seem completely convinced.
“As a citizen I’ll suspend judgement. Let’s see when the work is finished,” he said. “Basically I don’t dislike it, there is a historic reference there.”
Palms are not native to Italy but are widespread in more temperate areas of the country, including Rome, the Riviera and Sicily, where their juxtaposition with the austere architecture of Norman cathedrals is a favorite holiday snap for visitors.
Some palms in Italy are older than the country itself, having been brought initially by novelty-seeking aristocrats in the 18th and 19th centuries.
They were later championed by fascist dictator Benito Mussolini as symbols of Italy’s short-lived African empire.
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