In the heart of the historic center of Salerno, among medieval alleys and ancient walls, opens a place that tells more than a thousand years of history, culture and science: the Minerva Garden. This green space is not just a simple garden, but the heir to that didactic garden that, in the Middle Ages, represented the beginning of a new way of observing nature and understanding the world of plants and natural cures.

A vegetable garden with ancient roots

The Minerva Garden is spread over terraces on the slopes of Bonadies Hill, enclosed between the ancient city fortifications and the Fusandola stream. What we admire today is what remains of the medical garden created by the famous physician and botanist Matthew Silvatico at the beginning of the 1300, as part of the renowned Salerno Medical School.

Silvatico, a leading figure among physicians of the time, collected and studied medicinal plants of all kinds in this space, creating an open-air laboratory dedicated to learning, classifying and using plant species therapeutically. This made him one of the pioneers of scientific botany in the Western world.

A model for European botanical gardens

The Minerva Garden is considered one of the earliest Western botanical gardens, and its structure - organized in terraces irrigated by a system of fountains and pools - influenced the design of other famous Italian botanical gardens, from Padua to Florence, up to Bologna.

Today, in addition to its historical importance, the garden offers a unique spectacle of colors and scents: more than 300 plant species find space among paths and flowerbeds, many of them related to medicinal, aromatic or culinary traditions.

An experience among nature, views and culture

Terraces connect different areas of the garden, each with its own botanical specificity, and culminate in a 17th-century staircase, a striking architectural element that leads to a panoramic viewpoint over the surrounding hills and the port of Salerno.

Walking here means not only admiring rare and fragrant plants, but also immersing oneself in the historical context of the city, once a crossroads of knowledge from East and West.

Visiting the garden today

The Minerva Garden is accessible to the public with an entrance fee that also includes the Museum "E. Papi" and the Virtual Museum of the Salerno Medical School. Discounts are provided for students, school groups and those over 70 or under 12.

The garden is open from the Tuesday to Sunday, while Mondays are dedicated to maintenance. Throughout the year the hours vary to follow the seasons: in the summer months it can be visited until evening, while in the winter the hours are more reduced.