orto botanico
Eventi

The University opens its doors to spring; the Botanical Garden and Villa Parco Bolasco reopen in May

05.05.2021

On May 4, the Botanical Garden of the University of Padua reopens its doors after an extended period of closure and maintenance, working towards unifying four areas including the Herbarium, an “Algario” algae collection, Apothecary Museum, and Botanical Museum. The work implemented at the Botanical Garden included the reorganization of public spaces and plant cultivation in preparation for the University of Padua’s 800th Anniversary celebrations.

Founded in 1545, the 476-year-old Botanical Garden of The University of Padua, then called, Hortus Simplicium (Simple Garden) focused on the cultivation of medicinal plants used to derive medicines from nature. Since 1997, the Botanical Garden has been part of the UNESCO Heritage List as a cultural landmark and stands today as the oldest academic botanical garden in the world. In 2014, the Garden doubled its total surface area with the addition of a Biodiversity Garden.

The Botanical Garden will be open throughout May from Tuesday to Sunday (10 am to 7 pm) by reservation only with a reduced ticket price of 5 euros (except for the standard free tickets).  Free guided tours (in Italian only) are available throughout May every Friday (5 pm), as well as on Saturday and Sunday (11 am, 3 pm and 5 pm) by reservation only. Please call 049 827 3939 to make reservations. The greenhouses of the Biodiversity Garden will be open to visitors starting Wednesday, June 2.

Starting the weekend of May 8 The University welcomes visitors back to the nineteenth-century complex of Villa Parco Bolasco located in the heart of Castelfranco Veneto.  Extending over eight hectares of greenery and populated by over a thousand trees and rich fauna, the Villa hosts a large area with a lake and two islands, each fed by the waters of the Avenale stream. Designed by Marco Guignon the garden hosts an area called the ‘Cavallerizza’ with repositioned sculptures arranged in a semicircular and a Moorish style greenhouse, as well as two dovetail towers and a hut for sheltering boats. Entrance to the Villa is available by reservation only (049827 3939) on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, tickets are 3 euros.

For more information, and to make reservations for either location please call 049 827 3939 (office hours are from 9 am to 5 pm daily, including Saturdays and Sundays).

Located in the heart of Castelfranco Veneto, close to the Borgo Trevico, Villa Parco Bolasco encompasses a villa and historic gardens dating back to the mid-nineteenth century. The last owner, Renata Mazza Bolasco, donated the complex to the University of Padua in 1984. In 2015, The University completed the restoration of the gardens and part of the Villa. Commissioned by Count Francesco Revedin and built between 1852 and 1865, the Villa and the romantic garden was designed by the architect Giambattista Meduna. With contributions by Marc Guignon and Francesco Bagnara, the gardens followed the fashionable English landscaped gardens. Today, the historic gardens of Villa Revedin Bolasco retain their nineteenth-century design and have more than eight hectares of greenery and waters.