Let us discover the gardens of Venice together: hidden within the walls of convents and palaces, protected by the water, and returned to the public by foundations, museums, and associations, they are a living testimony to the city’s history
On March 14, the National Landscape Day will be celebrated, and in Venice, several initiatives will allow us to experience the city’s spaces with awareness and pleasure. Here is our selection.
The ancient orchard
- National Landscape Day
Friday, March 14, 4 PM
Orto Giardino del Santissimo Redentore
Free admission event with registration, subject to availability
The Orto Giardino del Santissimo Redentore on Giudecca, closed for centuries, has been opened to the public thanks to the restoration by the Venice Gardens Foundation, a Venetian organization that promotes, develops, and implements projects aimed at protecting botanical, artistic, and architectural heritage.
The restoration has given new life to this place of peace, where over 2,500 plants—cypresses, olive trees, and medicinal herbs—intertwine in an oasis of biodiversity, culture, and community.
Would you like to experience the Redentore Garden? Discover the Membership options.
On the occasion of the National Landscape Day established by the Ministry of Culture, a meeting promoted by the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape for the Municipality of Venice and the Lagoon recognizes the foundational role of the landscape for social and community well-being.
Speakers will include:
- Fabrizio Magani, Superintendent of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape for the Municipality of Venice and the Lagoon
- Anna Chiarelli, Head of the Landscape Area, Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape for the Municipality of Venice and the Lagoon
- Adele Re Rebaudengo, President of the Venice Gardens Foundation
- Edoardo Bodi, Head Gardener of the Venice Gardens Foundation
- Mario Giacobbi and Renata Zanin, Volunteers of the Venice Gardens Foundation
Read more about the Orto Giardino del Redentore: the hidden treasure of Giudecca.
The working-class neighborhood and its ancient vineyard
- The San Francesco della Vigna neighborhood between past and future
Friday, March 14, 5 PM
Meeting point at Salizada San Francesco della Vigna, on the corner with the Morion center, under the votive painting
Info: drm-ven.grimani@cultura.gov.it
The Museo di Palazzo Grimani, the Associazione San Francesco della Vigna, and the Convento di San Francesco della Vigna are launching an ambitious project with the support of the Fondazione di Venezia. Aimed at enhancing the historical, artistic, and social heritage of San Francesco della Vigna—a Venetian area characterized by a strong local identity—it seeks to celebrate the community’s fundamental role in keeping the historical heart of Venice alive, and is organized into three activities:
- Journey through Time offers an accessible route through the neighborhood’s symbolic locations, accompanied by digital testimonies that recount the area’s collective memory.
- The creative writing workshop invites citizens to transform memories and traditions into stories, promoting inclusion and stimulating creativity.
- The theater workshop led by Mattia Berto’s Teatro di Cittadinanza will bring to life a performance open to the public, creating an opportunity for intergenerational meeting and exchange.
The project involves the design, development, and implementation of creative and performative initiatives aimed at returning the heritage and shared memory of this territory to the citizens, understood from historical, urban, architectural, and artistic perspectives.
The project will be presented to the public on March 14 at the conclusion of the walk. The initiative is free of charge and no reservation is required.
Museo di Palazzo Grimani – National Archaeological Museums of Venice and the Lagoon
Ruga Giuffa (Campo S. Maria Formosa), Castello 4858
The book
- The Gardens of Venice
by Toto Bergamo Rossi and Marco Bay
Marsilio Arte
Secret Venice reveals itself in its hidden gardens, kept behind stone walls, discreet gates, or overlooking the lagoon.
From the sumptuous gardens of the palaces overlooking the Grand Canal to the more intimate ones on the lagoon islands, Toto Bergamo Rossi’s book takes us by the hand to discover these green treasures. It illustrates them through the images of Marco Valmarana, who captures their colors, light, and seasons in a journey divided by districts, revealing how nature, art, and history intertwine in the Venetian landscape.
Toto Bergamo Rossi explores the evolution of the garden in the lagoon, between stone and tides, while landscape architect Marco Bay analyzes its botanical and architectural aspects.
The garden island
- A perfect day on the Isola delle Rose
JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa
A perfect day in the greenery can begin with a game of Padel on one of the two new courts at the JW Marriott Venice on the Isola delle Rose, recently inaugurated and open to the public. It can continue with an outdoor fitness or yoga class immersed in nature, and a walk through the gardens, olive groves, and organic vegetable garden, where fresh raw materials used in the resort’s restaurants are cultivated.
The Isola delle Rose, located in the southern lagoon of Venice and reachable in a few minutes from St. Mark’s Square via a free shuttle service, is home to the JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa. The resort is celebrating its tenth anniversary with various cultural and recreational activities aimed at both guests and Venetians, maintaining a high focus on sustainability with green projects to reduce waste and promote a culture of sustainability in various ways.
After a poolside lunch at the Giardino Grill or the Gourmet Pizzeria, you can dedicate yourself to well-being at the JW Venice Spa, which offers a sauna, bio-sauna, hammam, treatments, and a spectacular heated indoor and outdoor pool.
At sunset, a glass of chilled champagne at the Sagra Rooftop Restaurant offers a spectacular view of the lagoon and St. Mark’s, before the culinary experience at the gourmet restaurant Agli Amici Dopolavoro, led by Chef Emanuele Scarello, who offers green cuisine with fresh ingredients from the JW Garden.
The public greenhouse
Built in 1894 to house plants destined for the International Art Exhibition that would later become the Biennale, the greenhouse is a magical example of perfectly preserved Art Nouveau architecture. Thanks to the Nonsoloverde cooperative, today the Serra dei Giardini is a beautiful botanical café where you can buy seeds and even rare plants, and participate in events and workshops in the cafeteria, cultural spaces, and garden.
March Workshops at the Serra dei Giardini
Viale Giuseppe Garibaldi 1254
Paid activities with booking on Eventbrite
Info: +39 342 8523532 and didatticaserradeigiardini@gmail.com
- Tuesday, March 11, 5 PM
Advanced Ikebana course
The Japanese art of flower arrangement. - Thursday, March 13, 5 PM
Basic Ikebana course - Saturday, March 15, 10:30 AM
The colors of nature
Creation of an illustration featuring natural elements. - Thursday, March 20, 5 PM
Terrarium
Discovered by chance at the end of the 18th century, terrariums revolutionized the world of plant hunters and continue to do so today in our domestic spaces. - Saturday, March 22, at 10:30 AM
Not the usual still life – Plant paintings
If a Monet is beyond your means and reproductions don’t convince you, have you ever thought of plant paintings as a solution for decorating your walls? Here is a practical workshop to learn how to create them, a way to bring nature into your home. - Saturday, March 29, at 10:30 AM
Ti taleo
The green revolution is multiplication by cuttings.
The cultural park
- The Castello Gardens
The Venice Biennale Gardens are located at the eastern end of the city and have hosted international exhibitions since 1895. Originally, the area was occupied by ancient religious complexes, but in 1807, following a Napoleonic decree, these buildings were demolished to make way for the current Gardens.
The Venice Biennale Gardens will host—from May 10 to November 23—the 19th International Architecture Exhibition, curated by architect and engineer Carlo Ratti.
Unlike previous editions, the Central Pavilion will be under renovation throughout 2025, transforming Venice into a living laboratory with installations, prototypes, and experiments spread across the Gardens, the Arsenale, and other venues.
Article by Laura Scarpa and Lucia Pecoraro.
Photos by Settimo Cannatella, Lucia Pecoraro, Laura Scarpa, and for The Gardens of Venice by Marco Valmarana.
Courtesy of JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa.
