Parco Regionale dei Colli Euganei

Beeches (Fagus sylvatica) are the main trees of the Alpine broadleaf forest between 700 and 1400 metres of elevation. The presence of these trees on Colli Euganei is due to the long glacial periods during the Quaternary (1.6 million to 15,000 years ago). The Italian name of the beech ("faggio") comes from the Greek word "phagéin", i.e. "to eat", because of its edible and oil-rich fruits, known as beechnuts or mast.