Venetian Gardens

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The first stop I want to recommend is the Giardini della Biennale, also known as the Napoleonic Gardens. The gardens are located in the Castello district and represent the largest green area in the historic center of Venice. As the name suggests, the area is one of the venues of the International Art Exhibition, better known as the Biennale. In terms of magnificence and interior opulence, they often exceeded that of their city houses. The wealthy Venetian’s competitive nature, allowed them to freely express their fantasies and vanities. In their parks and gardens, they created a celebration of botanical variety, accentuated with lakes, lemon groves, mazes, gazebos, fishponds and rabbit hutches. Adults €12, students under 26, €7. Dorsoduro 704, +39 041 240 5411, guggenheim-venice.it Napoleonic Gardens

In palaces, the garden was often separated from the house by a courtyard; used as an area for domestic chores. There only are six public parks in the city. You can find them next to St Mark’s square, by Piazzale Roma, in Dorsoduro, in Castello by Sant’Elena. I have already expressed my wish the Biennale Gardens were open to public even when the Biennale exhibition is not going on (see my blogpost here: www.seevenice.it/en/contemporary-architecture-in-venice-the-biennale-pavilions). Venetian gardens and their walls While not every house in Venice has a garden, many palazzos and mansions boast lush green spaces that are a delight to the senses. In a documentary film, the owner of one of these gardens, Toto Bergamo Rossi, told how much trouble he had to go through to bring the dirt to his garden by boat so that plants could grow in a safe space. Also the lovely vineyard in Mazzorbo, Venissa, mentioned something like 80 centimeters of good dirt for its grapes. Gardens in Venice: what kind of plants The first major settlement of Venice and a seat of power until the 13th century, this island's wistful, neglected air once inspired the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Harold Pinter. A canal path winds from the landing stage, past smallholdings and tiny boats used by the island's handful of inhabitants. The main sights are clustered around the overgrown main square, including the Museo di Torcello and cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, renowned for its vivid Byzantine mosaics, but also worth a look for the quirky collection of statues gathering weeds in the grounds. Climb the bell tower for views over island and lagoon. Afterwards, you could follow Hemingway and lunch in the garden at the exclusive Locanda Cipriani. Its classic Italian menu using local ingredients in dishes such as beef carpaccio and risotto of zucchini, aubergines, peppers and wild herbs. If your budget doesn't stretch to €75 a head (three courses excluding wine), try Villa '600, a restaurant with a homely interior, terrace and lawn. You can enjoy a plate of homemade pasta here for about €9.As the city rapidly grew, many of these green spaces diminished. By the 13 th C, the economy of Venice was principally built on international trade; leading to the progressive relocation of agricultural activities to the mainland. At the Venetian Gardens, residents get access to a wide variety of services and amenities with their monthly fees, including:

The Savorgnan gardens are located in the Cannaregio district and represent one of the most spacious green areas in the city. The public park is a clear example of the many gardens that overlooked the Rio di Cannaregio in the 1600s. Few world cities hold the romance and historical sweep of Venice. Thousands visit every year - and a mixture of crowds and climate leave it vulnerable, so much so it is often said to be in danger of sinking - but away from the usual tourist haunts around St. Mark's square are exceptional hidden treasures, some 500 gardens, many of them with fascinating stories. Small parcels of land delineated by walls, were contained behind houses. The spaces were used to cultivate fruit and vegetables to meet the family needs; the surplus was sold off locally.Located in the Castello district, the Serra dei Giardini is a stunning 19th-century greenhouse turned into a charming café and event space. Every time we made our way to and from our charming little hotel, Palazzo Sant’Angelo which overlooks the Grand Canal, we noticed one particular garden with a balustrade frothy with roses, the only one right on the canal side. This, Palazzo Malipiero-Cappello, is the pride and joy of Contessa Anna Barnabò, who has gardened here for some 30 years. Visiting was a privilege. Furnished with box-edged beds, a gazebo and magnificent statues, the focus is flowers, especially roses, Contessa Barnabò’s passion. Surrounded by lush greenery, the Serra is a perfect spot to enjoy a leisurely cappuccino amidst the tranquility of nature. The new “English Garden” style, brought about major changes and enhancements to the more extensive spaces. The new romantic garden had an irregular shape and was characterised by many different elements and an unusual variety of “panoramic” view-points. Villa Pisani is perhaps the grandest of the string of great houses along the Brenta. It was completely remodelled in the 18th century by the Pisani family, wealthy Venetian bankers, who used it for entertaining kings and ambassadors at sumptuous festivities. The gardens are truly magnificent with canals, statuary and a coffee house surrounded by a moat – but what I chiefly remember is going into the maze alone and getting hopelessly lost.

Carefully placed elements included, small wooded areas, colourful flowerbeds, hedges and pergolas covered with climbers such as jasmine roses and wisteria. Other accents included, sculptures, pots, architectural elements, obelisks, small bridges, turrets, lodges and huts. The Venetian Gardens offers chef-prepared meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day, letting residents enjoy nutritious and filling recipes that are designed to meet their daily nutritional and caloric intake These green sanctuaries offer a different perspective of the city, allowing you to see Venice's beauty from a fresh, verdant angle. When visiting Venice, I will be happy to take you to some of them and describe Venetian gardens in detail to enjoy this miracle of “artificial (or artistic) nature”. In this post let me mention some gardens, which can be considered pretty special and let’s start from one with a special name, the Eden garden at the Giudecca, to move then to Carlo Scarpa’s garden at the Biennale, a monastic garden near the Venice train station, a garden in a factory and finally end with the island of Poveglia. The Eden Garden on the island of Giudecca The staff are attentive and kind how am I getting to know each resident individually so they can deliver personalized care

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The 19 th C, brought a revival of interest in Botany with the resumption of cultivating exotic plants and a new vitality to many of the semi-abandoned gardens. Among the informal gardens that can still be seen today, are those of Palazzo Gradenigo and Palazzo Albrizzi at Sant’ Aponal. The latter, although small in size, still retains a degree of romantic atmosphere; with a small bridge that connects it to the palace and a Neo-Gothic tower. Tezon Grande on the island of Lazzaretto Nuovo, used for quarantine of plague victims. Photograph: Gillian Price/Alamy

Located on La Giudecca island, the Garden of Sant'Eufemia is a hidden treasure that offers breathtaking views of the Venice skyline. With its beautifully landscaped grounds and peaceful atmosphere, this garden is a must-visit for anyone seeking a serene escape. In the beginning of the 16 th C with the development of the printing press, scientists/alchemists could refer to detailed and illustrated books for the study of curative herbs. They had nice activities and the food was out of this world. The rooms were like private rooms, but yet they were semi-private. Two people were in a room, but there was a wall between the two people before you went out the door. Venetian gardens are unexpectedly quite a few. At least five hundred. In Venice, gardens are not so easy to spot, though. Most visitors, after spending a few days in Venice, get the feeling they miss plants, green areas, trees, flowers… Some also wonder if there is anywhere one can go jogging or where children can play. In other words, it is easy to perceive Venice as a city of water and stone.Located in the Cannaregio district, the Garden of the Grimani at the Servi Palace is a stunning example of a traditional Venetian garden. From the 16 th C onward, Venice’s dominant position started to decline. Wealthy Venetians were forced to diversify their traditional activities and consider new investment opportunities and the acquisition of land on the mainland to the north. First developed as holiday residences, they eventually evolved into sumptuous villas, surrounded by splendid parks; many of which are intact to this day. After the fall of the Republic, the public gardens of Castello, were designed by Gian Antonio Selva. A large area was cleared, but none of the planned service buildings were constructed. A tireless supporter of the arts, Peggy Guggenheim lived in New York, Paris and London before settling in Venice, at Palazzo Venier dei Leoni on the Grand Canal. She first opened her art collection to the public in 1949, with a display of sculptures in her garden. Today, after seeing paintings by Miró, Kandinsky and her former husband Max Ernst inside, lose yourself for a couple of hours in this wild and wonderful space, called the Nasher Sculpture Garden, which forms part of the permanent exhibition here. Artistic statements in blue neon lighting are written across the ivy-clad walls, spindly figures rise up like saplings amid the trees, and among the various sculptures and art installations you'll find the graves of Peggy herself and 14 of her dogs. A sort of art-nature trail, it includes such renowned artists as Alberto Giacometti, Marino Marini and Henry Moore.