Istituted in 1768 by the will of Abbot Giambattista Guatteri (1739-1793), the Botanical Garden traces its roots back to the 1600s, a period when there was a “Garden of Simples” in Parma, founded by Ranuccio I Farnese and annexed to the Faculty of Medicine according to the custom of the time, where medicinal herbs were cultivated (the “simples” were medications derived from the plant kingdom). The construction of the greenhouses was designed by the architect Ennemond Alexandre Petitot (1727-1801) and completed in 1793. Later, on the initiative of G. Passerini, who was its director from 1843 to 1893, the original structure was expanded with three other buildings: the School of Botany, where microscopic observations were carried out, the hot greenhouse, and the seedbed. The environment collects, protects, and preserves the native flora, offering visitors the sense of a naturalistic excursion in the territory. Collections of exotic species can also be admired, while of particular interest are the wood collection and the historic herbaria. Among the many plants present, mention should be made of the Ginkgo biloba planted in 1791, an ornamental elm, an imposing Metasequoia glyptostroboides, and collections of succulents, roses, aquatic plants, insectivores, native bonsai, and violets. At the School of Botany, the historic herbaria of G.B. Casapini (1722) and G. Jan (1820) are preserved, along with a wood collection, a pollen collection including several fossil pollen specimens from the Tertiary and Quaternary periods, 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
