The Royal Gardens of Venice were created as a result of Napoleon Bonaparte's decision in 1807 to make the complex of the Procuratie Nuove the seat of the Royal Palace.
The space that separated the building from the San Marco Basin was therefore transformed into a garden. A drawbridge over the inner canal provided direct access to the garden from the palace, while also allowing the transit of gondolas.
Starting from the year 1815, the architect Lorenzo Santi gave the garden its final architectural design, with a tree-lined avenue, geometric parterres and two groves at each end; he also created a greenhouse on the Ponte della Zecca bridge as well as a neoclassical pavilion, the Cafehaus. The pergola, with an iron and cast-iron structure, was built in the mid-19th century.
Today the Royal Gardens have been restored to their original splendour thanks to an extensive and careful restoration project promoted and managed by the Venice Gardens Foundation. The works were completed in 2019.
Opening hours and rules and regulations for visitors: www.venicegardensfoundation.org
The restoration of the informational totems in the Piazza San Marco area has been supported by the project “Venice and its Lagoon: Managing and Enhancing Tourist Flows”, funded by the Italian Ministry of Tourism.
