You don't have to be a tree geek, lol. They're often called umbrella pines and they're ubiquitous along the littoral of both Liguria and Toscana. We collect the nuts from the cones...pignole...they're an important ingredient in pesto sauce, which we eat often in my part of Italy. The Via Aurelia, which runs along the coast indeed is lined with them along parts of the route. There's also a lovely forest of them around the resort of Forte dei Marmi, which is THE place to go in the summer, and at Torre del Lago as well. Then there's the Maremma...my American friend are always quite intrigued by the idea of Italian cowboys.
They give off a lovely scent, especially at night and when mingled with the smell of the sea.