Il Garden of Minerva develops along the axis of the gardens that rise from the Villa Comunale towards the Medieval Castle. The Garden of Minerva is located exactly halfway along this ideal route and is certainly the most interesting for the historical and artistic values expressed within it. What is now evident to the visitor—thanks to a restoration completed in September 2000—is an interesting series of eighteenth-century elements. Among these, the most characteristic is a long staircase highlighted by cruciform pillars, decorated with stucco, which support a pergola.
The water distribution system, made up of basins and fountains, one for each terrace, with decorations made using calcareous concretions, indicates the presence of abundant springs which, properly channeled, have allowed over the centuries—besides various other uses—the cultivation maintenance of the plots. The site has a particular microclimate, favored by the low incidence of north winds, and a favorable exposure, which still today allows the cultivation and spontaneous propagation of plant species demanding in terms of humidity and heat. The owner of these places was, since the 12th century, the Silvatico family, whose member, Matteo, between the 13th and 14th centuries, distinguished himself as a prominent physician of the Salerno School and a profound connoisseur of plants for the production of medicines.
He is the author of the Opus pandectarum medicinae, a precious collection of information on simples, that is parts of plants used for the production of medicines. In fact, following careful consultation of historical documentation sources, the existence in the medieval Salerno area of a garden of simples has been clearly demonstrated, established in the first two decades of the 1300s by the Salernitan physician and botanist Matteo Silvatico, to serve the masters of the Medical School.
In this space of extraordinary cultural value, today identifiable precisely in the area of the Garden of Minerva, the plants from which active principles used for therapeutic purposes were derived were cultivated; moreover, in this place a true educational activity was carried out to show the students of the Salerno Medical School the plants with their name and characteristics (ostensio simplicium). These premises confirm that the garden, located in the area of the ancient site of the hortus sanitatis of the Salerno Medical School, can be considered the oldest botanical garden linked to a medical school.
Opening Hours Giardino della Minerva
From Tuesday to Sunday
Monday: weekly closure for maintenance.
N.B. after the gate closes, it will be possible to visit the Garden for another thirty minutes.
January
from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
February
from 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM.
March
from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
April
from 9:30 AM to 7:00 PM.
May
from 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM.
June, July and August
from 9:30 AM to 8:00 PM.
September
from 9:30 AM to 7:00 PM.
October
from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
November and December
from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
Prices of the Minerva Garden
Euro 3.00 (full price)
DISCOUNTS (€uro 1.50): School groups of all levels (free admission for the chaperone); University students (upon presentation of the card). Annual subscription €uro 15.00.
N.B. Free admission for chaperones of tourist groups and for children under six years old.
For group visits (reservation required) contact the Garden Office (tel. 089252423 – info@giardinodellaminerva.it)
Information about Orto botanico Giardino della Minerva
Via Ferrante Sanseverino, 1
84121 Salerno
Phone: 089 252423
Email: info@giardinodellaminerva.it
