A giant pine three which will be set up in St Peter's Square for the Christmas holidays is slowly making its way to Rome.
The 32.95-meter white pine is a gift to Pope Benedict XVI from the Region of Calabria and was cut in the Massiccio del Garaglione Forest, in the eastern mountain areas of Calabria known as the Sila.
The tree is not only long but wide enough to occupy most of the northbound lane on the Salerno-Reggio Calabria motorway.
Because of the many stops being made, necessary to allow motor traffic past, the tree is not expected to arrive in the Vatican until 04:00 Tuesday.
Donating a Christmas tree to the church is considered a great honor and every year a different Italian or European region is given this privilege, a practice inaugurated by the late Pope John Paul II in 1982.
Once in position in St Peter's Square it will take several days to decorate. The hundreds of lights that will be draped around it will be switched on at a ceremony scheduled for next weekend.
