History
Pavia Botanic 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 Isoėtes 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.
