The Vine, the Rose and the Elm

A widespread cultivation practice throughout history was the “vite maritata”, which translates as the “married vine”.

The vine is a climbing shrub, a sort of creeper. In nature, it tends to climb up trees to get as close to the light as possible. However, it is not a parasitic species and does not interfere with the tree to which it clings. It is as if the vine is “married” to the tree that it clings to.
In the past, taking advantage of this characteristic, the vine was trained on certain particular varieties of tree, including the elm.

Another common custom that has survived to the present day is that of planting roses at the ends of the rows of vines. The rose acts as a sentinel because it shows signs of attack by pests, diseases and even mineral deficiencies before they become apparent on the vine. It has an important function as a “thermometer”, helping farmers to intervene in the vineyard before the problem spreads to such an extent as to be fatal to the harvest.