Bosco Italia

Nestled on the side of a hill in Umbria, Italy is an unusual sight: a gigantic map of Italy, made entirely out of pine trees.

Trees line the hills and mountains of Umbria in patches, so if one were to come upon this patch of trees in particular, they might accidentally pass it off as one of the many. But Bosco Italia is no ordinary cluster of pine trees: it was planted there to form the shape of a map of Italy. This is not the only example of this in the world. In Northern Minnesota the “Minnesota Forest” has been shaped by a rogue forester over decades to look like its home state.

A short distance below the town of Castelluccio in the Monti Sibillini National Park of Umbria lies the magnificent Piano Grande Di Castelluccio, which translates to “Great Plain of Castelluccio.” In season, the fields of the plain are filled with stunning flowers, but there is one attraction that remains year-round: the Bosco Italia.

The pine tree seedlings were planted in 1961 to form the shape of Italy when the trees were fully-grown.