The Botanic Garden of Padua

The oldest Botanic Garden in the world was founded here in Padua in 1545 and has collected numerous exotic and local species in the same location continuously through the centuries. In 1533 the Universitas Artistarum of Padova founded the first chair of materia medica (Lectura simplicium) for medicinal plants. Identification of the plants described by ancient authors was a serious problem and, in many instances, mistaken identifications or falsification of drugs caused the death of patients.

In 1545 the Senate of the Venetian Republic, being convinced that an increased knowledge of so called "simples" (horti simplicium or herbal remedies) would reduce errors and frauds in medicine, followed the advice of Francesco Bonafede, a professor and leader in the research at the time, along with other Paduan doctors and students, and decided to establish a garden for the cultivation and research on medicinal plants.

It is so noteworthy that the Botanic Garden of Padova was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is still in its original location, where it was established on the grounds of a Benedictine order, who had already been using plants to make tinctures and teas as remedies for centuries. But the orto botanico would take the research and standardization of the herbs to a new level of medicine, so that botany later would achieve its own science status. The garden saw advancements in medicine, chemistry and of course botany through the years, taking the Benedictines' "primitive science" and raised it to an ordered, scholarly level.

The garden was enriched with plants from around the known world where Venice had trading ventures, thus bringing a rich variety of exotic and rare species to Padua. It was -and still is- a resource for scholars, especially with the addition of a library and laboratories.

The architecture of the garden is lovely, planned by Andrea Moroni of Bergamo utilizing a geometrical scheme of circles and squares divided into quarters and tiers, displaying elegant patterns. A vast circular protective wall was added to prevent thefts that had occurred, giving it a "secret garden" feel. The Garden has preserved the original structure that exploits the glorious history, so that it has been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site, in 1997.

In recent years, special attention has been devoted to education of handicapped people: a videotape describing the garden's history and collections includes subtitles and sign language is available for deaf people. Also noteworthy is an itinerary specially conceived for blind visitors, which consists of plants with explanatory labels in Braille.

The Botanic Garden of Padova is open from 9:00 AM til 7:00 PM from April through September; from 9:00 AM til 6:00 PM in October; and from 9:00 AM til 5:00 PM in winter.