Planted in 1545 by Padua University’s medical faculty to study the medicinal properties of rare plants, Padua’s World Heritage–listed Orto Botanico (ortobotanicopd.it; adult/reduced €10/8) is the world’s original botanical garden. While an obvious must for botanists, those toting green thumbs and weekend garden enthusiasts, it's actually a wonderful four-hectare escape from its city surrounds for anyone who's had enough medieval frescoes for one day.
Highlights include the garden's oldest tree, a dwarf palm nicknamed "Goethe’s palm" (planted in 1585), an Old World sycamore tree dating to 1680, Italy's first magnolia tree (1786) and a whole range of deadly poisonous plant species (including hemlock, famed for ending the life of Socrates). The garden is still used as a learning and research environment; studies now focus on the preservation of rare indigenous plants and the maintenance of biodiversity, which is celebrated in the high-tech Garden of Biodiversity. The new Museo Botanico manages to make botany captivating, too (don't miss the 1830s beeswax models of edible/poisonous mushrooms).
Guided tours and themed itineraries are available. Check the website for details.
