In a few years Clelia Durazzo collected a substantial number of plants, mainly ornamental species, as well as scientific texts and a herbarium rich with over 5000 samples. The 19th-century academic world, both national and international, rightly recognized her great merit for her scientific activity. The two 19th-century greenhouses, built by her and later restored by her grandson Ignazio Alessandro Pallavicini, are the finest Genoese testament to the botanical culture that characterized Genoa’s scientific circles between the 18th and 19th centuries and still define the garden architecturally today.
In 1928 the botanical garden, together with the palace and the romantic park, was donated to the Municipality of Genoa and was used improperly for many years. At the end of the 1970s it was reevaluated and the botanical collections grew significantly. With the interventions from 2002-2004, the botanical garden was finally restored and today it showcases collections of varied composition, some arranged in special scenic displays such as the desert, tropical forests, peat bogs, and wetlands. In its magnificent monumental greenhouses, ferns, palms, and economically important tropical plants are cultivated, such as cocoa, cola, cinnamon, banana, cassava, etc. Outside, the educational collections offer visitors the opportunity to learn more in depth about aspects of plant biology such as reproduction, leaf colors, scents, and poisons.
Collections of roses, camellias, bamboo, and Mediterranean plants provide the chance to get closer to these groups of vegetation. In the new greenhouse dedicated to giant water lilies, it is possible to admire the Victoria cruziana.
