Orto Botanico di Pavia | Grandi Giardini Italiani

History

Pavia Botanical Garden, the most ancient of Lombardy, was founded in 1773 by order of empress Maria Theresa. Born as an institution devoted to the study of multiple aspects of the plant world, since 2017 it is a museum of the University of Pavia, where the traditional research and teaching activities meet scientific divulgation and environmental education, directed to a ever-growing and variegated public.
In 2024, thanks to a project funded by PNRR, collections and infrastructures were renewed to ensure a more sustainable and inclusive address of fruition and management. The collections, extended over the garden's 1.5 hectares surface, reflect the long and diversified history of this institution. They comprise more than 150 trees, among these the Scopoli Plane Tree, planted by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1778 and currently reaching 45 m of height. Emblematic are also the Rose Garden, including more than 300 individuals of wild, ancient and modern cultivated roses, and Pavia Tea, a cultivar of tea plant selected in the botanic garden in early 20th century for its resistance to frost.
The Scopoli Greenhouses, designed by Giuseppe Piermarini, host aged cacti, spurges and cycads, besides an outstanding plant of Welwitschia mirabilis. Pools and fountains are inhabited by rare and endangered water plants, among these Isoëtes malinverniana, endemic of the Po Plain. The Forbidden Vineyard evidences the past role of the Garden in the development of the Kingdom of Italy's viticulture, while the recent Bamboo Garden inspires relax and meditation. The fruition is currently allowed by new thematic itineraries, addressed also to kids. One of these is devoted to the wild birds living in the botanic garden, whose biodiversity benefits from the sustainable management practices.

The Great Green: Eco-sustainable measures

Orto Botanico di Pavia has been pursuing sustainable and environmentally friendly practices for years. Here are some of the initiatives undertaken after 2020:

1) Redevelopment of plant heritage. New specimens of shrubs and trees, mostly native, have been planted, with the overall addition of about a thousand specimens; ordinary maintenance (pruning of dangerous deadwood) and extraordinary maintenance (phytostatic analyses) have been carried out on the monumental plane tree, considered a habitat tree, by certified arborists; underneath it, compaction resulting from trampling has been prevented by fencing off a buffer area and reducing mowing operations.

2) Eco-friendly management of green spaces the Botanical Garden does not normally use herbicides and pesticides; water waste has been reduced by adopting an automated irrigation system calibrated to the needs of individual crops; mulching has been practiced in the lawns and differentiated mowing; non-dangerous dead wood has been left on the trees, while in some places small piles have been created with wood from prunings to favor degrading fauna.

3) Water saving created systems for recirculating the water used in fountains.

4) Enhancement and increase in biodiversity The Garden has reduced the areas that were once mown, berry bushes, a bird feeder, and an “insect hotel” have been introduced; the management of the fountains has favored the persistence of the emerald toad colony; the restoration of the collections financed by the PNRR has involved the purchase of mainly native species and ancient cultivars.

5) Other best practices Excellent management of separate waste collection (e.g. vegetable waste), minimizing the use of plastic, paper and toner saving measures, high-efficiency lighting systems.

Grandi Giardini Italiani Srl

Grandi Giardini Italiani Srl