Giardini Reali

At one time Venice was surrounded by green fields, the squares of the city were used for growing or grazing of animals (hence the origin of the name Campo), but over the centuries, these areas have been gradually covered by paving stones. Nowadays the public gardens area is not very extensive, it is about 120,500 square meters divided into six gardens scattered around the city. These parks are: St. Helena, Napoleon Gardens, Groggia Gardens, Savorgnan Park, Papadopoli Gardens and the Royal Gardens. Like any park, the Giardini Real offers complete relaxation and enjoyment of the beautiful greenery. It is our favorite place because the park is just a short walk away from St Marks square. We enjoy having a coffee to go or a spritz sitting on a nearby bench and watching exotic plants and listening to the birds singing. The Royal Gardens of Venice originate from the Napoleonic reform project of the Marciana Area with the decision, sanctioned on 11 January 1807 by the decree of Napoleon Bonaparte, to allocate the New Procuratie as the seat of the Palazzo della Corona. The architect Giovanni Antonio Antolini, called to Venice in 1806, presented the first plans for the residence: a new building overlooking the San Marco Basin, which will not be built, and a garden in the space between the Procuratie and the Lagoon, in the place of the fourteenth-century granaries of Terranova. Thus arose the idea of building the Giardini Reali which in the immediate vicinity of the Doge's Palace offered the escape of the courtiers into the splendor of greenery. Many famous architects participated in the development of the park and each of them enriched it with his idea. Shortly after Antolini, Viceroy Eugène de Beauharnais changed Antolini's approach by deciding to build a new monumental building: the so-called Napoleonic Wing (Ala Napoleonica) with lush gardens. After that, in 1810, the architect Giuseppe Maria Soli began the first interventions in the garden by building a stone fence and a wooden bridge to allow access from the Palace. After the return of the Austrians in 1814, the architect Lorenzo Santi became the director of works of the Royal Palace. He made several significant alterations so that In 1815 the garden was isolated from the city with the demolition of the bridges over the Rio della Luna, thus interrupting the connection with Calle Vallaresso, while direct access from the building was confirmed with a drawbridge over the internal stream, thus also allowing the transit of gondolas. The entire area was surrounded by a stone balustrade, and in 1816, between the garden and the shore leading to the Piazzetta di San Marco, a majestic iron gate was placed by the blacksmiths Pietro Acerboni and Daniele Pellanda. Santi gave complete shape to the garden by outlining a tree-lined avenue overlooking the Basin of San Marco, "Italian-style" geometric parterres and two "English-style" groves at the ends, whose trees, flowering plants and potted citrus fruits came from the Royal Park of Stra.

Beautiful small gardens with a great variety of plants and flowers. Ideal to hide from the crowds of San Marco.

Beautiful green island free for everyone

Very pretty but the wardens are quick to tell you when you do something wrong.

The flowers around this place were so beautiful and the jasmine flowers were so fragrant

Heady scent, and beauty in its simplicity. Such a wonderful oasis

Amazing green spot gust behind central Piazza San Marco. Real oasis in summer

Lovely and quiet place. Ideal place to relax and enjoy the garden. Drinking and eating is not allowed and is continuously supervised which makes the garden safer and cleaner.