I have visited once the Botanical Garden of Padua, founded in 1545 by the University under the project of Andrea Moroni and of the humanist Daniele Barbaro, originally for containing 1500 plants, useful for the pharmacy, as the first botanical garden in the world. The 22000 sq. m. of its irregularly shaped area, originally enclosed by a high brick wall, represent the world surrounded by the ocean (Alicorno canal) and contain a closed circular garden 86 m in diameter, which enclosed a 41 m square plot; the entire garden is divided in four quadrants by pathways at right-angles to one another, running to the four cardinal points. Since the foundation of the garden, with many later additions, the four smaller squares created by the two pathways cutting the central square, are decorated with geometric flower beds, bordered with stone, in each of which is a plant specie. In 1704, when the four entrances were modified, the wrought iron gates giving to the inner circles and the four acroteria were placed on the eight pillars and surmounted by four pairs of wrought iron plants. In this period were also build two fountains, made of Istrian stone, outside the circular garden, and the nice balustrade, that runs for 250 m on the circular wall. Some of the greenhouses made of heated stone, that replaced the mobile conservatories, used for protecting delicate plants in the winter, retain the original heating system and the pumping installations. The library contains 50000 volumes and 1500 portraits and pictures of the botanists and the herbarium, the second biggest in Italy, contains 416500 dried specimen. The Garden collected rare plants, that were later introduced into the rest of Europe and there are some of the oldest European specimens; a plant was also studied by Goethe during his visit in Italy. The 6000 exemplars are arranged with systematic and utilitarian or ecological-environmental criteria or in thematic or single collections.

I was a little bit disappointed by the garden because I thought that it is bigger, even if it is interesting. It's worth to be visited if you are in Padua and however justifies the inscription, even if it could be inscribed with the complex of the Square of St. Antonius , with its stunning basilica and school, Gattamelata's Monument amd Oratory of St. George, and of the square Prato della Valle with the Basilica of St. Giustina; also the Scrovegni Chapel, currently on the Tentative list, can be inscribed as a separated monument.

Photo: Padua - Botanical Garden