Piuforesta. Il bosco di Piubega e la foresta planiziale padana

Abstract

The Po Valley, once rich in forests, has undergone a drastic reduction in forest cover over the centu-ries due to the advent of modern agriculture. Today, the only remaining traces of the original forests are found along the riverbanks and in a few logging areas. However, the Po Valley lowland forest still resides in the imaginations of planners and citizens as a “low-intensity” myth , a narrative capable of evoking a world beyond our direct experience. The unique case of the Piubega forest, an instance of urban forestation in a municipality in the province of Mantua, provides a valuable opportunity to observe the plurality of discourses, imaginaries, myths, and ideologies that revolve around the pur-suit of forests in the city. Like a Petri dish, Piubega’s forest experience highlights the motives and contradictions in current urban forestation research.