The Biodiversity Garden greenhouses of the Botanical Garden will remain closed throughout 2024, due to the ongoing technical assessment aimed at investigating the condition of the glass panes affected by some events of breakage. Upon completion of the assessment, the necessary interventions will be adopted to ensure compliance with the latest technical standards regarding glass curtain walls. The intervention on the glass panes will be coordinated with the already planned renovation works of the greenhouses' roofing, which was severely damaged during the July 2018 downburst, with strong localized hailstorms, and hit again by the 2019 and 2022 extreme events. The roof cushions will be replaced, with the insertion of an additional protective layer against hailstorms. The reopening schedule will be announced before starting the works, which will also include the restyling and enhancement of visit routes, as well as the expansion of the botanical collections.   

But the Botanical Garden does not stop and continues to look ahead. As core part of the restoration and maintenance work within the NRRP intervention - Parks and historic gardens, the restauration of the sculptures of the Four Seasons and of Theophrastus was completed last autumn. At present, the cleaning and restoration works of the fountains and aquatic plant tanks inside the Old Garden are underway; on the other hand, the conservative restoration of the Keeper’s house, which is meant to become the hub of welcome services, is nearing completion.

Furthermore, the following activities are scheduled for the upcoming months:

• cleaning of the Alicorno canal, as part of a collaboration with the Bacchiglione Brenta Consortium;
• cleaning of the water drainage system of the Old Garden;
• construction of the quarantine greenhouse and restoration of the bromeliad greenhouse;
• construction of a multiplication greenhouse and opening of the building site of the new orchid and cultivation greenhouses in the area of the 19th-century greenhouses;
• creation of the lighting system and updating of the wi-fi network and the video surveillance system of the Old Garden.

The annual subscriptions campaign is suspended, as well as the planned increase in the full ticket price to 15 euros: the entrance ticket is in fact unchanged and includes a free audio guide. Subscriptions issued from December 2022 are extended for 3 months, whereas subscriptions issued from June 2023 are extended for 6 months.

The Old Garden and the dispensary of the Botanical Museum