Starting from Saturday, February 25th, the new season of the Monumental Garden of Valsanzibio begins. The historic park of Villa Barbarigo Pizzoni Ardemani in Galzignano Terme (Padova) could be visited everyday, from 10am until dusk. Guided tours, both in english and italian, could be booked in advance.

A little bit of history

The garden was realized in the second half of the Seventeenth century by Barbarigo family, based on the project of Luigi Bernini, top Vatican architect and fountain expert. The then Cardinal Gregorio Barbarigo desired that the garden of Valsanzibio had to be a monumental symbolic road trip to perfection; a journey that brings man from the false to the truth, from ignorance to Revelation. The “Diane Pavilion” or “Diane’s Doorway” was not only the main entrance by water to the estate of the Barbarigo, but represented, as it still does today, the beginning of the salvation’s itinerary that ends in front of the Villa, in the square of the Mushroom Fountain, the Ecstasy’s Fountain or, indeed, the square of the Revelations’ Fountain.

This exceptional example of baroque gardens consist of more than 60 statues engraved in Istria stone, and many other different minor sculptures that integrate into a world of architectures, streams, waterfalls, fountains, small ponds, water games and fish ponds, between hundreds of different trees and plants, over an area of more than 10 hectares. Furthermore, inside the monumental complex and essential stage within the itinerary of salvation, there is the century-old boxwood maze, the symbolic Hermit’s Grotto, the Rabbits Island and the Monument to Time.

The success of the garden

In the past few years, this open air museum has seen an increasing number of visitors from Italy and all over the world, thanks to a growing visibility on the web and on international media that often dedicates their reportages to this Garden at the foot of the Euganean Hills, a private property that makes a great effort in protection and tutelage.

Arte, one of the most important European cultural tv channel, last summer chose Valsanzibio among the 20 more important gardens in Europe, with a 30-minutes episode that aired in France, Germany, Switzerland and other countries. Recently, the artistic director Davide Rampello commented on the Italian television that “This is not a dream, it is the quality Italy!”

2017 event calendar

This year the Garden offers again a rich calendar of outdoor events. Besides the guided tours that allow to learn about the high simbolism of the place, art and botany, every Sunday there will be a different event. Among these, the spring literary festival “Readings among the centuries-old trees”, starting from Sunday, March 26th. Journalists, writers and garden experts will show the garden to the visitors and present their books under the centuries-old trees of the park.

And then guided tours with tastings, picnics, afternoon tea and sunset cocktail, thanks to the many local wineries. The aim is to thrill the visitors, allowing them to reenact the splendor of the Serenissima Republic.

The guests of the thermal area hotels are entitled to discounts, and so are the Arte Terme Card owners.

For further information and updates on the events, visit www.valsanzibiogiardino.it/en. To purchase your Terme Art Card, all informations here.