Veduta dell'orto botanico di Padova

Of scientific facilities, botanical gardens are among the oldest and richest in tradition. They were preceded by the monastery and covenant gardens of the Middle Ages in which primarily culinary and medicinal herbs were cultivated. For this reason, many botanical gardens were first conceived as medicinal gardens, such as the one depicted here, the Hortus medicus Patavinus that was created in 1545 and is still cultivated today.

A. Tosini, Veduta dell'orto botanico di Padova, copper plate engraving, undated, from: Antonio Ceni: Guida all'Imp. Regio Orto Botanico in Padova, Padua 1854; source: Biblioteca dell'Orto Botanico, Università degli Studi di Padova, http://www.ortobotanico.unipd.it/en/index.html.