If you wondered just how the mammoth 82-foot spruce that served as a Christmas tree this year on St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican got to its destination, the Belgian Faymonville specialized-trailer manufacturer has the answer. Reps from the company shared these pictures with Overdrive, which tell the story, as the Christmas season neared its close last month.
Polish transport companies Ol-Trans A. Rybka and HR Polska managed to move the tree successfully a distance of approximately 1,650 miles to the country, located within the city of Rome.
The spruce was a very specific load, difficult to secure and susceptible to damage. Fixing the tree was carefully planned and prepared for. The companies carried the tree from Poland to the Vatican on a Faymonville VarioMAX low-bed trailer.
Because the maximum width of the tree in nature was 9 meters, it was been reduced by more than half for the transport on the vehicle. This was the most difficult part of the entire project. The spruce was placed on three specially designed adjustable metal frames (in front, in the middle and at the rear of semi-trailer). It helped to fit the load precisely after placing it on the vehicle and securing it with ropes, transport straps and plastic mesh.
Starting the project on November 11, the crew ultimately crossed several countries to finally arrive in Rome and the Vatican City.
The official illumination ceremony of this Christmas tree took place on St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican Thursday, December 7.
Ol-Trans A. Rybka is a Polish customer of Faymonville’s established 22 years ago and today with a diverse fleet of trailers: 32 units in different dimensions, mainly Faymonville MegaMAX, TeleMAX, VarioMAX and ModulMAX vehicles.
