Macomer, Pineta Albano

Albano pine forest. Photo by Angela Nieddu, 2025, from the BBCC Catalogue

The Albano Pine Forest is located west of the town of Macomer. It is part of a large area owned by the municipality that also houses the kindergarten and the center for the elderly. The area where the Pineta Albano stands today originally belonged to the former feudal estate of the Marquisate of Marghine. It was purchased around 1860 by the Welsh engineer Benjamin Piercy (1827-1888), known for the construction of the Sardinian railway network that initiated land clearing and land improvement, introducing domestic pine around 1870. From this plant came the toponym “Pineta”, to which the name “Albano” was later added after the purchase by Teresa Albano, who belonged to a family of pioneers in the Macomer dairy industry. It was not a real pine forest, but rows of pine trees used as windbreaks to protect the land. Already in the surveys of 1954-55, the orthogonal mesh of the trees that delimited the agricultural plots was clearly distinguished. After a period of decline, linked to the lack of natural renewal capacity of domestic pine, in the early 1940s, at the request of the property, two binding decrees were issued. In 1965, part of the Albano Pine Forest became the property of the Municipality of Macomer, which began some building and social interventions and the planting of various species for the purpose of reforestation. The area is divided into three main green spaces: an area mainly covered with lawn; an area characterized by the presence of different tree species arranged in clusters with greater vegetative density; a space equipped with a perimeter fence and games. Along the border with Via Emilio Lussu there are borders of common cypress and Arizona cypress, which contribute to the definition of the visual margin and to the shielding of vehicle traffic. In the park, there are also some rows of eucalyptus and rows of ash trees along the walkways. The park is equipped with various recreational and recreational equipment, distributed in such a way as to facilitate the use by different groups of users: children's play area, ice rink and bicycles, outdoor amphitheater, sports equipment, picnic area.

Consult the Catalogue of Cultural Heritage — Pineta Albano sheet NCTN 2000253026

Interesting aspects
A characterizing element of the park is the composition of open and covered spaces, defined through a mesh of tree species that marks the landscape. In some places, the plant is manifested through the architecture of rows and borders; in others, it thickens to form wooded areas characterized by groups of tall trees. The whole creates an alternation of full and empty masses where vegetation shapes the perception of space.