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Upside-Down Fig Tree

A tree that defies gravity grows in an ancient ruin.

Bacoli, Italy

Added By
woodruff
The upside-down fig tree.   woodruff (Atlas Obscura User)
The upside-down fig tree.   woodruff (Atlas Obscura User)
The upside-down fig tree.   woodruff (Atlas Obscura User)
The arches of the villa.   woodruff (Atlas Obscura User)
The upside-down fig tree.   woodruff (Atlas Obscura User)
The tree in the arch.   woodruff (Atlas Obscura User)
The upside-down fig tree.   woodruff (Atlas Obscura User)
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Inside the "Parco Archeologico delle Terme di Baia," one little tree defies physics.

The modern city of Bacoli holds the ruins of Baia. It was once a playground for the super-rich of Rome, the emperors and their ilk. Julius Caesar had a villa there and so did did Emperors Nero and Caligula. Now the ancient resort town is a venerated archaeological site, but no one told the defiant upside-down fig tree that grows from the crumbling brick of an ancient building.

The tree sprouts from the ceiling of the arch it grows inside, which was allegedly part of the Emperor Nero's private villa. No one is quite sure how the tree ended up there or how it survived, but year after year it continues to grow downwards and bear figs.

Related Tags

Trees Ruins Plants

Know Before You Go

It is not really hard to find with a car and a navigator. Just arrive to Baia/Bacoli and follow the street signs.

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Added By

woodruff

Published

November 16, 2016

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