Dario Gambarin's "canvas" is a 27,000 sq m uncultivated field in Castagnaro, near Verona, in northern Italy. He depicted Rome's iconic Colosseum there by ploughing the land with a tractor on Thursday.

The Italian "land artist" prides himself on being "the only one in the world to draw freehand with a tractor on huge surfaces", reported Italian news agency Adnkronos.

He does not mark out the image on the land beforehand, but simply hops on his machine and begins, once he has an idea of what the art work should look like.

Gambarin's latest offering is a tribute to the signing of the Treaty of Rome, which celebrates its 60th anniversary today.

The international agreement, which was signed on March 25, 1957, laid the foundation of the European Economic Community, which aimed to bring about economic union among its member states.

Gambarin said he chose the Colosseum because it "is not only the symbol of Rome, but is also proof that what has been built well lasts. And, this is a message of hope".

His earlier works included portraits of global leaders like Nelson Mandela, former US president Barack Obama and Pope Francis.