Established in 1768 by the will of Abbot Giambattista Guatteri (1739-1793), the Botanical Garden has its roots in the 1600s, a period when Parma had a “Giardino dei Semplici” (Garden of Simples), founded by Ranuccio I Farnese and annexed to the Faculty of Medicine according to the practices of the time, where medicinal herbs (the “simples” were remedies derived from the plant kingdom) were cultivated. The greenhouse construction was designed by architect Ennemond Alexandre Petitot (1727-1801) and completed in 1793. Later, on the initiative of G. Passerini, director from 1843 to 1893, the original structure was expanded with three other buildings: the School of Botany, where microscopic observations were made, the warm greenhouse, and the seedbed. The environment collects, protects, and preserves native flora, offering visitors the sense of a naturalistic excursion through the territory. Exotic species collections can also be admired, while of particular interest are the xylotheque and the historic herbariums. Among the numerous plants present are the Ginkgo biloba planted in 1791, an ornamental elm, a majestic Metasequoia glyptostroboides, and the collections of succulents, roses, aquatic plants, insectivores, native bonsais, and violets. At the School of Botany, the historic herbariums of G.B. Casapini (1722) and G. Jan (1820) are preserved, along with a xylotheque, a pollen collection comprising various fossil pollen specimens from the Tertiary and Quaternary, and a small collection of phyllites gathered in 1960.
Information about Botanical Garden of Parma
Via Farini, 90,
43121 Parma (Parma)
0521 233 524
fossati@unipr.it
Source: MIBACT
