This area of the garden hosts a large part of the Mediterranean oak collection, born from a passion for gathering a selection of the tree that most defines the landscape of the Chianti hills: the oak.
The idea arose from observing that on this side of the valley, in the woods and near rural farmsteads, there are distinctive varieties which, in addition to the more common Quercus pubescens, range from Turkey oak to spontaneous hybrids of Turkey oak and cork oak. In Giardino di Piuca, more than thirty different varieties of this species are present, all propagated by collecting acorns in the wild. Alongside the oaks, this part of the garden also features a hornbeam tunnel, the Tibetan magnolia (Magnolia delavayi), Sassafras albidum, and Firmiana simplex.
Altitude: 550 m above sea level
Area: 1,440 sqm
Soil type: sandy, loose silty soil, from basic to acidic
Cultivated plants:Quercus ithaburensis, Q. calliprinos, Q. ilex, Q. suber, Q. cerris, Q. robur, Q. libani (likely intended instead of “libanotica”), Q. trojana, Q. castaneifolia, Q. frainetto, Q. pubescens, Q. rysophylla (likely “rhysophylla”), Q. alnifolia, Q. coccifera, Q. myrsinifolia
Other spontaneous plants: Acer campestre, Populus alba, Pinus pinea, Celtis australis
