The Botanical Garden of Padua

The garden was established in 1545 so that medical students could learn to identify the plants they would prescribe and, just as importantly, tell them apart from the ones that would kill a patient. The original design survives: a circular walled enclosure divided into quarters, the wall added early on because specimens kept being stolen. A dwarf palm planted in 1585 still grows under its own small glasshouse and is known as Goethe's palm, after the essay on plant form he wrote having seen it. A large modern greenhouse alongside runs through climate zones from rainforest to desert, which is a different visit on the same ticket.

What you actually see

• The 1545 circle - the original walled plan, quartered and still planted to it.
• Goethe's palm - a dwarf palm of 1585 under its own glasshouse.
• The medicinal beds - the poisonous and the curative laid out side by side.
• The modern greenhouse - climate zones running from rainforest to desert.

When to go

April to October, when the beds are planted and the outdoor collections are worth the walk; the greenhouse works in any weather. Two hours covers both halves. Weekday mornings are quiet. Padua is half an hour from Venice, which makes this an easy half day away from the crowds there.

Honest expectations

The historic garden is smaller than its reputation suggests and can be walked in twenty minutes; the interest is in what the plan means rather than in any scale. The modern greenhouse is impressive but feels like a separate attraction bolted on. In high summer the walled circle traps heat and there is very little shade.

Nearby

The Basilica of St Anthony is next door; Venice is half an hour by train.