Places: the Old Botanical Garden of Padua

Walking through the Botanical Garden of Padua, one of oldest university botanical garden still existing in Italy, is like taking a little trip through space and time. Exotic species are flanked by a humble native seedlings, flowers bright glimmer of a tangle of thorns, clusters of berries improbable colors are complemented by antique statues. Walking in the core, going from old doors, and being among flower beds and tubs from the perfect geometry is like going back in an old hortus conclusus of a medieval monastery. Groups of aromatic plants, water lilies, fruit trees, all arranged in strict symmetry, take shelter under the auspices of the old gingko tree, which looks like a cascade of golden fans in autumn, or in the imposing palm Goethe; the hidden rotonda, sorrounded by Taxus and bamboo, resembles a small green room, ready to accommodate a married couple, and greenhouses delicate Ficus and impressive Monstera build huge green walls throbbing with life.

I put here some pictures taken in October between its avenues, the garden well worth a visit even in seasons like autumn and winter, which certainly does not shine for its abundance of bloom and lushness. For any information, this is the Botanical Garden website.