Viale dei Cipressi in Bolgheri

The charming Viale dei Cipressi (Boulevard of Cypresses) is in the municipality of Castagneto Carducci, and is a 5-kilometre tree-lined road which connects the Oratory of San Guide with the historic centre of the village of Bolgheri. A long straight road, with two rows of dense, centuries-old cypress trees on both sides - 2540 in total - which was built in the 19th century. When via Regia was rebuilt, they created perpendicular road to link the countryside to the central towns: one of these was the road of San Guido.

The road was adorned with cypress trees at the behest of Count Guide Alberto and it became famous thanks to the famous poem “Davanti San Guido” by the poet Giosuè Carducci, who lived there for quite a while. In his verses he wrote:

"The cypresses that in Bólgheri tall and outspoken
Go from San Guido in doble rows,
Almost running giant youths
They leapt toward me and looked at me".

At the start of the road there is a small obelisk which was put there in 1908 by Giuseppe Della Gherardesca to commemorate the famous poet.