The trees of Abbadia San Salvatore: fir and chestnut

Abbadia San Salvatore is a town located on the slopes of Monte Amiata and which is known as the city of torches. The reason for this denomination lies in an ancient custom, according to which on the night of December 24, piles of wood up to 7 meters high are lit and burn until Christmas. There is also a legend about this place. It seems that King Rachis one day, while he was hunting, learned that a swineherd who had strange visions lived on the mountain. The man saw above a silver fir the Most Holy Savior, who now appeared to him in the form of a small flame, now in the form of three flames. The sovereign, intrigued, left with his queen and all his court to observe the miracle with his own eyes, and in fact he had this vision. Nevertheless, the symbolic tree of Abbadia San Salvatore is not the fir but the chestnut, known in the past as the bread tree. Near the top of Monte Amiata there are still centuries-old chestnuts that produce excellent chestnuts on the grill.