Oak of the Witches, Historic oak tree in San Martino in Colle, Italy.

The Oak of the Witches is a large specimen growing within Villa Carrara's grounds near Capannori. Its distinctive form features unusually wide horizontal branches that spread flat and outward from the trunk.

The oak is estimated to be around 600 years old. In the early 1900s vandals broke branches by sitting on them, and in the 1960s a lightning strike caused major damage. During World War II, Nazi occupiers marked it for firewood, but the residents of San Martino in Colle mobilised and the plan to fell it was dropped.

The name comes from a legend that witches held their sabbaths on the branches, which is said to explain why the crown grows out horizontally rather than upward. A second tale identifies the oak as the tree where Carlo Collodi's assassins hanged Pinocchio; Collodi's mother was born in the nearby village of Collodi, and he is said to have spent holidays in the area.

This location sits on the grounds of a private villa, so it is worth checking ahead about access before visiting. The best time to visit is in good weather when the tree's structure and branches are clearly visible.

Local legend holds that this is the oak on which Carlo Collodi's assassins hanged Pinocchio. Collodi, born in Florence, is said to have spent holidays nearby and written parts of the novel under the tree; the village of Collodi, his mother's birthplace, lies not far away.