Upside down fig tree in Bacoli, Italy. No one is quite sure how the tree ended up there or how it survived, but year after year it continues to grow downwards and bear figs.
The Italian reference site Storie di Napoli says that the tree grew upwards in a normal fashion until the 1940s, but when excavations of the archaeological site began, the tree was destroyed. However, its roots survived, giving life to a new tree that grew from the peculiar position from which it hangs today. It seems to be getting all the nutrients it needs - the Royal Horticultural Society says that fig trees ‘need a warm, sunny, sheltered spot’ to grow, adding that ‘restricting their roots encourages fruiting’. While the archaeological site has long drawn in visitors, the upside-down tree has become a minor tourist attraction in itself.
The strange tree is set in the modern-day town of Bacoli, the site of the lost city of Baiae, which is often referred to as Las Vegas for th
