DAY 54 (29 MAY) – Umbrella pine (Pinus pinea) (Vejer, Spain)
One of several umbrella pines that guard Vejer’s northern edge, looking out across the valley towards Medina Sidonia.
If you love the Mediterranean, then it follows that you love the umbrella pine. They are intrinsic to any Roman landscape, and widespread in Israel, Lebanon, Syria and North Africa too. Those in Spain are predominantly in the provinces of Huelva and (here) Cádiz. Yes, this is the Atlantic but only just around the corner.
This tree, also known as the Italian stone pine, has been used in landscaping since the Italian Renaissance garden period – but has been cultivated for its pine nuts for many centuries longer.
