Ancient pollards in “coltura promiscua” in Italy : history, geography and perspectives

The Italian expression “coltura promiscua”, internationally used (Meynier, 1958; Zimmermann, 1981; Meeus, and al., 1990; Pinto Correia 2005; Zimmermann, 2006), indicates the association between pollarded trees, vines and arable land, typical of the Italian Peninsula,. Until the 1960s it used to provide one of the most famous traditional agricultural landscapes of Europe (Sereni, 1957; Desplanques 1959; Gambi, 1973). By producing agricultural products, as well as preserving agrobiodiversity, “coltura promiscua” was – as we would say today – extremely multifunctional. “Coltura promiscua” is nowadays no more practiced, besides the presence of some rare relicts, that the author recently mapped and classified in certain areas in North Eastern Italy. Starting from this research, this paper presents some insights about the role of pollards in Italian traditional landscapes, through historical sources and fieldwork evidence, and propose to learn some lessons for the future.