Gruppo BISACCIA

The Convent square is one of the most interesting places in Bisaccia. Some elements contribute to make it so: the centuries-old lime tree and the breathtaking view to enjoy

From the viewpoint of the Convent you can admire, in addition to the villages perched on the Dauni mountains and the valleys that open to the plain of the Tavoliere, woods and crops. The main essences, present in the area, are some types of oaks such as Turkey oak (Quercus cerris) and English oak (Quercus robur) which constitute woods in purity or in symbiosis with black pine (Pinus nigra), mountain maple (Acer pseudoplatanus ), beech (fagus sylvatica) and small nuclei of silver fir (Abies alba) which constitute glacial relicts, there are also isolated examples of yew (Taxus baccata); in the undergrowth you can find shrubby species such as holly (Ilex aquifolium) and juniper (Juniperus communis). There are other minor species such as the Neapolitan alder (Alnus cordata) and the poplar (Populus tremula) to form riparian woods on the banks of some streams. As for the fauna, the woods are mainly populated by hares, woodcocks, partridges, partridges and other birds including many species of birds of prey, in fact it is not uncommon to spot the kite on the Formicoso plateau, as well as poisonous reptiles. Remarkable is the presence of the boar re-produced for hunting purposes. Contradictory is the presence of the Italic wolf (Canis lupus) although its presence in the past was widely documented. The crops are cereals, vines, olive trees and orchards. Bisaccia is found on "bone" ("bone" is a term used by economists to refer to land that is difficult to cultivate). According to university professor Manlio Rossi Doria of the University of Naples in the countries of the bone: «What exists cannot be defined as" agriculture "but madness. Everything would have to be redone, everything to be rearranged, because it is absurd to live as you live there, it is absurd to grow wheat as it is grown. It is absurd to treat the earth as it is treated, everything is absurd. " (Manlio Rossi Doria, Source: Rai documentary of 1968 dedicated to the countries of the South, including Bisaccia.) The secular lime tree (this tree is mentioned already in a document of 1600).

Unknown

The secular lime tree (this tree is mentioned already in a document of 1600)

Convent Square, Bisaccia

Property of the Municipality of Bisaccia

The state of conservation is good.

The majestic and historic lime tree, in dialect the Teglia, can be found in Bisaccia in the center of the Convent square. A protected tree, an umbrella of green, hundreds of years old. Before it was even more majestic, then a few years ago he fell ill and botanical experts intervened, with interventions and appropriate medicines, in the heart of the trunk, there remains the hole of the surgical operation and where the medicines were administered. The linden tree was saved, it lost some of its majesty, a few meters from the mother plant a child linden was planted, and which now stands out fresh and promising. Some wrought iron benches to relax under the shady foliage allow you to savor an oxygenated refreshment in the hottest hours of the summer. “Benevolent shade, coolness and vigorous and imposing beauty, sweetly penetrating perfume”. 15-20 meters high and a trunk that the joint embrace of three people cannot contain. The roots are long and strong and go deep, the stem is straight and fairly massive, the bark smooth and greyish when young, over time it becomes darker and rougher and the trunk becomes wider. Flowering begins from late June to early September. It is the unforgettable moment of lime trees, of the beauty of tufts, hermaphroditic flowers, with pistil and ovary, corolla and chalice of 4-5 sepals and with a diffuse, intrusive, upsetting scent. The ancient Greeks had consecrated the lime tree to Aphrodite, a symbol of femininity, they called the lime tree “Filira” from the name of the nymph who joined the god Cronus (which then means time). From the low wall, almost a "terrace on the infinite", you can enjoy a wonderful landscape: the valley traced by the Isca valley, the peaks of the Dauno sub-Apennines that slope gently towards the Tavoliere delle Puglie. In the center of the square, a large centuries-old lime tree, the sly guardian of many memories, mentioned in a document from the end of the 1600s. From here the gaze opens onto the evocative landscape and can only fall on the historic center gathered on a spur of Mount Calvario, wedged between two ravines, at the head of the Isca valley. If someone thinks that the clay mountain is the sign of a vanished past, they would do well to change their minds and continue the journey in search of the lost art that still resists and can relive, of the intimate feeling of these people that is expressed through rituals and secular celebrations.