Located not far from the famous Prato della Valle – and just a few steps from the Basilica of St. Giustina and the Botanical Garden – the Santa Giustina Rose Garden is laid out at the foot of the Bastion of Santa Giustina, which formed part of the sixteenth-century city walls. Opened in 2008, it is the first council-owned rose garden in the city and is intended to enable visitors to discover the history and varieties of this famous flower.
Laid out to inform and delight with a riot of colours and perfumes, the Rose Garden is divided into three sections. One is dedicated to a sensorial experience that draws on four of the five senses (sight, touch, smell and taste); another outlines the history of the rose, from ancient varieties to the modern roses that are to be found in Italy and abroad; the third is dedicated to the ten most important rose plants and those roses that are named after major figures who lived in the Veneto region (for example, the St. Anthony rose and the Beatrice’ d’Este rose).
Within the garden are areas dedicated to specific types of rose – for example, climbing roses – and the different roses that have inspired fashion designers. There are also beds planted with varieties of roses and other perennial flowering plants – for example, the Lilium candidium (also known as St. Anthony’s Lily).
The Rose Garden is not open all the year round, but only at times when the roses are in bloom: from 1 May to 14 July and from 1 September to 7 October.
