Orto Botanico Comunale di Lucca

Founded in 1820, the Botanical Garden of Lucca occupies two hectares within the city's southeastern walls. Its arboretum, pond, greenhouses and botanical collections combine plant science with the history of a civic garden.

Why it matters

Duchess Maria Luisa di Borbone granted the Piaggia Romana plot to the city's Real Liceo in 1820. The garden now includes a regional seed bank that preserves endangered local crop varieties, as well as collections used for botanical study. In 2022 it was recognised as a Museum of Regional Relevance.

What to notice

The arboretum includes a cedar of Lebanon planted in 1822. A spiral path on the Montagnola represents flora from Monte Pisano, the Apennines and the Apuan Alps. The pond and its bald cypress, collections of camellias and rhododendrons, and greenhouses with tropical and subtropical plants add to the garden's variety. The Museo Cesare Bicchi preserves herbaria documenting the study of plants.

Context and history

Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi authorised a botanical garden in 1814, but the project proceeded under Maria Luisa, whose land grant was made in 1820. Paolo Volpi became its first director; construction took place from 1821 to 1823, and a heated greenhouse opened in 1826. The garden became municipal property in 1903. After management by the Opera delle Mura from 1999 to 2018, it returned to direct municipal management in 2019.