Parade of plane trees leading to the village of Tournissan in the south of France.
Many countries today use the French term “allée” – generally translated as “avenue” in English – to designate a road lined with trees which have been deliberately planted at regular intervals on either side of the roadway, be it a pathway in a park, an urban thoroughfare or a country road. These routes from the 17th century lead to the birth of the “boulevard” – a term which had its origins in military engineering but now took on a new meaning, designating a tree-lined promenade around the outskirts of a town or city.