The Orto botanico di Pisa, also known as the Orto Botanico dell'Università di Pisa, is a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

operated by the

University of Pisa The University of Pisa ( it, Università di Pisa, UniPi), officially founded in 1343, is one of the oldest universities in Europe. History The Origins The University of Pisa was officially founded in 1343, although various scholars place ...

, and located at via Luca Ghini 5,

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. The garden was established in 1544 under

Cosimo I de' Medici Cosimo I de' Medici (12 June 1519 – 21 April 1574) was the second Duke of Florence from 1537 until 1569, when he became the first Grand Duke of Tuscany, a title he held until his death. Life Rise to power Cosimo was born in Florence on 12 ...

as the first university botanical garden in Europe, and entrusted to the famous botanist

Luca Ghini Luca Ghini (Casalfiumanese, 1490 – Bologna, 4 May 1556) was an Italian physician and botanist, notable as the creator of the first recorded herbarium, as well as the first botanical garden in Europe. Biography Ghini was born in Casalfiumanese, ...

Imola Imola (; rgn, Jômla or ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, located on the river Santerno, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The city is traditionally considered the western entrance to the historical re ...

. In 1563 the garden was relocated from its original riverside location (now the Medicean Arsenal) to one near the convent of Santa Marta, and in 1591 (under

Joseph Goedenhuyze Joseph Goedenhuyze or Goedenhuize (died late 1595) was a Flemish botanist and naturalist, active in the court of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. He was also known by the Italian name Giuseppe Casabona or more rarely Giuseppe Benincasa Life He was bor ...

) again moved to its third and current location. From these early times, the garden has contained a gallery of natural objects (now Pisa's Museo di Storia Naturale), a library (now part of the university library), and portraits of its directors throughout the centuries. It also includes one of the earliest iron-framed hothouses built in Italy. Today the garden is divided into sections containing the botanical school, gardens, ponds, greenhouses, and various buildings. Major collections include herb gardens and

arboreta An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, man ...

, as well as the old botany institute, built 1591–1595, with a facade ornamented with sea-shells.

Gallery

File:Orto botanico di Pisa 2.jpg, Botanical school. Image:Orto botanico di Pisa - school.JPG, Botanical school. Image:Orto botanico di Pisa - old instiitute.JPG, Old institute building. File:Orto botanico di Pisa 5.jpg, Pond File:Paolo Savi statue - Orto botanico, Pisa, Italy.JPG, Monument to Italian naturalist Paolo Savi (1798-1871).

External links

University of Pisa website for the Orto botanico di Pisa

References

* Garbari F. et al., ''Giardino dei Semplici. L'Orto botanico di Pisa dal XVI al XX secolo'', Pisa 1991. 1544 establishments in Italy Botanical gardens in Italy University of Pisa Buildings and structures in Pisa Gardens in Tuscany Tourist attractions in Pisa {{Italy-garden-stub

Gallery

See also

External links

References