A series of tree planting ceremonies were held in 8 locations in the Province of Brescia, Italy and this is one of them.
Bienno is a small medieval town, it is a two-hour drive from the city of Brescia passed Lake Iseo. Italy’s first UNESCO World Heritage site, Parco nazionale delle incisioni rupestri di Naquane, is situated near the town and the town itself is renowned for its iron goods and fresh water. Town’s population has been slowly increasing in recent years due to immigrants.
Oldofredi Park is located in the town center and equipped with plenty of play equipment – a local recreation area where anybody can enjoy. It is the perfect place to plant the kaki tree.
As we were waiting for the tree planting ceremony in the empty park, children started coming one after another. Soon the park was filled with children and was full of life. Even before our visit, they had engaged in various activities to understand the project such as learning and understanding Japanese culture, making a welcome board written in Hiragana and making drawings of peace and war. At the tree planting ceremony, primary school pupils together sang “Tree of Peace.” A secondary school student delivered a good speech as the student’s classmates looked on.
The most impressive thing was local adults’, including the mayor’s, understanding of the project. School supervisor Mr Vittorio encouraged children to become people who create peace together with adults.
Later an olive tree, a symbol of peace, will also be planted in the park and we hope these three trees – the older kaki tree, the seedling of the bombed kaki tree and the olive tree – equally prosper. The children’s drawings entrusted to the executive committee members have arrived in Japan safely.
