View Full Version : Bananas in Italy
jeffreyp
06-01-2010, 02:33 PM
I just got back from Italy and some interesting observations. In the outskirts of Milan I saw tons of Trachycarpus (windmill) palms all in full bloom and looking very healthy. When traveling through toscana (Tuscany) I saw maybe 2-3 yards with large clumps of banana plants in their yards. It was pretty impressive considering Italy had a very cold winter, Tuscany is a more northern region and not to mention the clumps looked very healthy.
MediaHound
06-01-2010, 02:47 PM
Sounds like a good time Jeffrey, how long were you out there for?
jeffreyp
06-01-2010, 03:05 PM
I was there about 10 days. Lots of Citrus in Rome too. I saw plenty of Canary Island date palms from Tuscany down to Rome. Absolutely no frost damage in rome on the palm trees.
asacomm
06-01-2010, 05:44 PM
Hi Jeffrey,
Very interesting. Why don't you post some photos of the bananas
in Italy?!
jeffreyp
06-01-2010, 06:28 PM
The bananas I saw in Tuscany were definitely there long term - very large mats. The banana plants I saw were just passing observations on a taxi ride from a bed and breakfast from the mountains to the Chiusi train station so sadly I don't have any pictures to post. I was glad to see plenty of date palms in Rome given the red palm weevil presence in europe. There was alot of snow in Milan this past winter so it was nice to see such healthy windmill palms up that way as well. In just about every region I was in I saw plenty of oleanders, monkey puzzle trees, loquats, roses, and a variety of zone 8 palms. Italians are very open minded to plants and I was a bit surprised there are not more banana plants but it just may be a matter of availability. Maybe one day the south of Italy will have more - maybe more if I have anything to do with it (;
Abnshrek
06-02-2010, 01:40 AM
Glad you had an enjoyable trip to venture a gander of what was grown locally. Pic's are always nice, but a vivid account doesn't hurt the imagination one bit :^)
jeffreyp
06-02-2010, 08:45 AM
In the agricultural areas I saw fields of tobacco, rice, and small starts of various vegetable crops. Plenty of things you'd expect such as olive trees, grapes apples, peaches, cherries, and some small citrus groves here and there. I noticed the loquat trees in rome were fruiting which I thought was interesting (but not unexpected) because the loquat trees here in florida fruited maybe 1.5-2 months ago. I also saw lots of southern mags throughout Italy and plenty around milan.
Italy's coastal palm trees under attack by army of weevils - Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/7786925/Italys-coastal-palm-trees-under-attack-by-army-of-weevils.html)
Dalmatiansoap
06-02-2010, 08:49 AM
So, visiting Europe without trip to Croatia???
Cant belive that!:ha:
Im glad U had a great time there ;)
:woohoonaner:
jeffreyp
06-02-2010, 09:03 AM
Maybe next time I'll try to fit in some time for Croatia. I have family in italy so when I go I spend most of my time with them. Do many Croats speak Italian or English?
Dalmatiansoap
06-02-2010, 11:26 AM
Yes we do. In Northen parts German and Hungaryan too.
Jack Daw
06-02-2010, 01:27 PM
Maybe next time I'll try to fit in some time for Croatia. I have family in italy so when I go I spend most of my time with them. Do many Croats speak Italian or English?
Certainly Croats can speak better and more languages, than most Italians. Or at least every European would say that. :)
Yes we do. In Northen parts German and Hungaryan too.
And other 14 Slavic languages are so similar, that they don't need translating at all, ay. ;)
MediaHound
06-02-2010, 06:05 PM
From the Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/Bananas.org):
Marisol Perez Talmadge (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1300370236) Did u take any pics?
vBulletin® v3.6.8, Copyright ©2000-2020, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.