The Royal Gardens of Venice are returning to life

Venice never fails to amaze. After the disastrous high tide last November, the city shows its strong pride with the reopening, after extensive restoration work, of the Royal Gardens, a 5,000 square meter green area located between St Mark’s Bay, Piazzetta and Procuratie Nuove.

This green spade was created on order of Napoleon Bonaparte following the designation of the Procuratorie Nuove at the Royal Palace which, in order to be defined as such, needed a ‘palace garden with access to the water’. The green area included a Coffee House, a beautiful pergola and a drawbridge to connect it with the Procuratie.

Thanks to the recent restoration work carried out by the Venice Gardens Foundation, the Royal Gardens and their historic structures have returned to their former glory offering the city and visitors not only the chance to step back in time, but also a breath of fresh air: it will be possible to walk under the ancient pergola, observe the original drawbridge in operation, admire the wonderful greenhouse and enjoy an excellent coffee in the new Coffee House with a Hapsburg style like the original one, whose earnings will be donated to the maintenance of the Royal Gardens themselves. Inside the royal garden, ‘The Human Garden’ was also created for exhibitions and artistic and cultural activities.

Even the vegetation has started to bloom again thanks to the precious botanical restoration: among tall trees, fruit trees, bulbous plants, myrtle bushes and low-rising flower beds, it will be a pleasure to walk, read whilst sitting on a bench or simply get some respite away from the crowds!

And if you happen to pass by on a hot April day, walk in and enjoy the blossoming of the wonderful Japanese wisteria that climbs over the pergola: walking under its purple expanse will give you a moment of peace and wonder that only nature can do.