Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini
Encyclopedia
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
. The villa now houses the Museo di Archeologia Ligure, and is located at Via Pallavicini, 13, immediately next to the railway station in Pegli
Pegli
Pegli is a neighbourhood in the west of Genoa, Italy.With a mild climate and a sea promenade, Pegli is mainly a residential area with four public parks and several villas and mansions. It is also known as a tourist resort with some hotels, camping and bathing establishments...
, a suburb of Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The park and botanical garden are open daily.
The estate was begun in the late 17th century by Clelia Durazzo Grimaldi
Clelia Durazzo Grimaldi
Clelia Durazzo Grimaldi , also known as Clelia Durazzo, was a botanist and marchesa in Genoa, Italy.-Biography:She was the daughter of Giacomo Filippo Durazzo and Maddalena Pallavicini. Her father was a member of one of the most illustrious and aristocratic Genoese families, as well as a notable...
, who established the Giardino botanico Clelia Durazzo Grimaldi
Giardino botanico Clelia Durazzo Grimaldi
The Giardino botanico Clelia Durazzo Grimaldi is a small botanical garden located on the grounds of the Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini in Pegli, a suburb of Genoa, Italy. It is a part of the romantic historical park made by Ignazio Pallavicini in 1846....
at that time. Today's remarkable park was created by her nephew Ignazio Alessandro Pallavicini after he inherited the property.
The park was designed by Michele Canzio
Michele Canzio
Michele Canzio was an Italian architect and painter, best known as stage designer for the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa. He also designed a remarkable garden at the Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini....
, set designer for the Teatro Carlo Felice
Teatro Carlo Felice
The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the Piazza De Ferrari....
, and built between 1840 and 1846. It covers some 97,000 m² of hillside behind the villa. Although recognizably in the English romantic style, the garden is highly theatric, to the point of being organized as a series of scenes forming a play with prologue and three acts (Return to Nature, Memory, Purification). Structures and statues through the garden form focal points to this libretto.
When the park opened in September 1846, on the occasion of the VIII Congresso degli Scienziati Italiani, it quickly gained national fame. In 1928 its current owner, Matilde Gustinani, donated both park and botanical garden to Genoa for use as a public park. Through the remainder of the 20th century, the garden fell into some disrepair, and indeed was threatened in 1972 by construction of a nearby highway. Its restoration began in 1991, however, in honor of Columbus' discovery of America. As of 2006 about half of the park is open for visitors.
The park contains two ponds, a dozen notable structures, various statues, and an extensive grotto
Grotto
A grotto is any type of natural or artificial cave that is associated with modern, historic or prehistoric use by humans. When it is not an artificial garden feature, a grotto is often a small cave near water and often flooded or liable to flood at high tide...
. The grotto represents a Dante
DANTE
Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various national research and education networks in Europe and surrounding regions...
sque Inferno, with walkways and subterranean lake through which the visitor may ascend to Paradise. In former years, visitors could explore the grotto by boat. Structures include a Coffee House in the shape of triumphal arch, Rustic House, Madonna's Chapel, Mausoleum of the Captain, Temple of Diana, Flower House, Turkish Temple, Obelisk, and Chinese Pagoda.
The park also contains a number of plantings of botanical interest, including mature specimens of Araucaria
Araucaria
Araucaria is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Araucariaceae. There are 19 extant species in the genus, with a highly disjunct distribution in New Caledonia , Norfolk Island, eastern Australia, New Guinea, Argentina, Chile, and southern Brazil.-Description:Araucaria are mainly...
bidwilli, Cedrus libani, Cinnamomum
Cinnamomum
Cinnamomum is a genus of evergreen aromatic trees and shrubs belonging to the Laurel family, Lauraceae. The species of Cinnamomum have aromatic oils in their leaves and bark. The genus contains over 300 species, distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of North America, Central America,...
camphora', Jubaea
Jubaea
Jubaea chilensis is the sole extant species in the genus Jubaea in the palm family Arecaceae. It is native to southwestern South America, where it is endemic to a small area of central Chile, between 32°S and 35°S in southern Coquimbo, Valparaíso, Santiago, O'Higgins and northern Maule regions...
chilensis, Notelaea
Notelaea
Notelaea is a genus of Australian plants of the family Oleaceae.Species include:*Notelaea ipsviciensis W.K.Harris*Notelaea johnsonii P.S.Green*Notelaea ligustrina Vent.*Notelaea linearis Benth.*Notelaea lloydii Guymer...
excelsa, Firmiana
Firmiana
Firmiana is a genus of flowering plant in the Sterculiaceae family.It contains 12 or more the following species, including:* Firmiana hainanensis* Firmiana major* Firmiana simplex...
simplex, Quercus suber, Podocarpus
Podocarpus
Podocarpus is a genus of conifers, the most numerous and widely distributed of the podocarp family Podocarpaceae. The 105 species of Podocarpus are evergreen shrubs or trees from 1-25 m in height...
macrophillus, lots of extotic palms and a wonderful stand of some 160 Camellia
Camellia
Camellia, the camellias, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalaya east to Korea and Indonesia. There are 100–250 described species, with some controversy over the exact number...
japonica.