A glorious day of exploration among the flora of 3,500 species of plants awaits in this botanical oasis in Padua
Established in 1545 as a medicinal plants teaching garden, and considered to be the origin of botanical gardens, the Orto Botanico Padua has evolved into a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a leading authority on the world’s plant kingdom.
Affiliated to the University of Padua, it is a global guiding light for the protection of existing species, the preservation of rare and endangered species for the future. Ongoing research and development seeks to further understand the relationship between humans and plants, and how they can continue to coexist.
The outdoors garden’s original structure remains to be enjoyed today: a circular plot surrounded by a ring of water, symbolising the world and its oceans, is encased within a circular wall that served as a deterrent to 16th-century plant thieves. The main body of the garden is divided into four parts by two paths, with the surrounding pathways celebrating Mediterranean scrub and Alpine rock. It showcases aquatic plant tanks, poisonous and medicinal plants, orange trees and the orchid greenhouse.
You can travel through Earth’s tropical, sub-humid, temperate and arid zones within the Biodiversity Garden. It’s a modern building designed to harness the energy of the sun to power the complex technological features required to simulate the environmental conditions shared by plant ecosystems that stretch from the equator to the poles.
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