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 path and is certainly the most interesting for the historical and artistic values expressed within it. What is evident to the visitor today – thanks to a restoration work completed in September 2000 – is an interesting series of eighteenth-century elements. Among these, the most distinctive is a long staircase highlighted by cruciform pillars, with stucco decorations, supporting a pergola.
The water distribution system, composed of basins and fountains, one for each terrace, with decorations made using limestone concretions, indicates the presence of abundant springs that, properly channeled, allowed – in addition to various other uses – the cultivation of the plots over the centuries. The site has a particular microclimate, favored by the low incidence of northerly winds, and a favorable exposure, which still today allows the cultivation and spontaneous propagation of plant species demanding in terms of humidity and heat. Owners of these places were, since the 12th century, the Silvatico family, of which a member, Matteo, distinguished himself between the 13th and 14th centuries as an eminent physician of the Salerno School and a profound expert in 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 a careful consultation of historical documentary sources, the existence, in the area of medieval Salerno, of an herb garden was clearly demonstrated, established in the first two decades of the 1300s by the Salerno 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, were cultivated the plants from which the active ingredients used for therapeutic purposes were derived; furthermore, in this place, a true teaching activity was carried out to show the students of the Salerno Medical School the plants with their names 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 Garden of Minerva
From Tuesday to Sunday
Monday: weekly closure for maintenance.
N.B. after the main gate is closed, 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 Garden of Minerva
Euro 3.00 (full price)
DISCOUNTS (€uro 1.50): School groups of all levels (free entry for the chaperone); University students (upon presentation of ID). Annual subscription €uro 15.00.
Note: Free entry for chaperones of tourist groups and for children under six years old.
For group visits (reservation required) contact the Garden Secretariat (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
