Overview
They represent the green lung of Venice and overlook the basin of Piazza San Marco for 5000 square meters. Commissioned by Napoleon, who in 1807 decided to endow the Royal Palace with a green area, they were later sold to the State Property Office and in 1920 they became the property of the Municipality of Venice and were opened to the public. It is said that even the Empress Elisabeth of Austria loved them very much and that they preserve some of the spaces of that time, such as the neoclassical pavilion by Lorenzo Santi, the fence, the cast iron pergola and the drawbridge that is still lowered today on special occasions to connect the gardens to Piazza San Marco.
The gardens were given a new lease of life by gardener-architect Paolo Pejrone who reorganized them into their current layout.
The best time to visit is between March and October when most of the flowers are in bloom and visitors can take a stroll through the wisteria and begonias or in the Coffee Pavilion with the greenhouse providing a magnificent backdrop.
