Certainly, the Orto Botanico is not a highlight among the World Heritage sites in Italy and even in Padua, the site is by far less popular with visitors than the famous Scrovegni Chapel or the Basilica of Saint Anthony.

I had visited the garden for the first time in 2004 and re-visited it on a weekend trip in August 2016. The memories of my first visit were not particularly good, at that time large parts of the garden were not well-kept and many plant beds were empty. But obviously, things have changed and today the garden is in very good condition. It is relatively small in size compared to other botanical gardens, but there is a great variety of species, a leaflet highlights the oldest and most important plants: an Oriental palm tree with a hollow trunk, a Gingko tree from the 18th century, a Magnolia from the 17th century, or the oldest tree the so-called "Goethe palm", planted in 1585. I found the collection of poisonous plant interesting, labels indicate their hazard level.

The reason for inscription was that the Orto Botanico was the first academic botanical garden and that it still has the original layout: a square in a circle, symmetrically divided by two intersecting paths. The circular perimeter wall, the fountains and the four iron gates have also been preserved.

Another thing that has changed since my first visit is the entrance fee, it was 10 euros in 2016. But this is justifiable because the entrance to the modern greenhouse, the Biodiversity Garden, is also included. We spent about two hours for both, the historical and the modern part. We enjoyed our stroll in the shadow of the old trees and a rest on a park bench, it was a relaxing break from our tour to the Trecento artworks listed in the TWHS entry, which were the focus of our trip to Padua.