Explore the enchanting Giardino della Minerva in Salerno, a historic botanical garden showcasing a rich collection of medicinal plants and stunning views. Discover one of Italy’s oldest medieval gardens in the heart of Salerno’s old town

The Minerva Garden in Salerno was founded in the 12th century thanks to Matteo Silvatico. He was an important physician of the famous Salerno Medical School, the oldest medical university in the world, as well as personal physician to King Robert of Anjou, King of Naples; in fact, he was referred to in the Decameron by Boccaccio as “the King's Physician”. Master Silvatico created in this garden the first example of a botanical garden, that is, a teaching space where physicians taught students to recognize the “semplici”: plants from which it was possible to extract medicinal active ingredients. As mentioned in the work “Opus pandectarum medicinae” by Master Silvatico, Minerva's garden was enriched with rare and exotic species discovered during his countless travels.
Further historical references to the Minerva Garden date back to 1666, when Don Diego del Core in a notarial deed described the garden's structure in detail.
After World War II, the last owner of the garden: Giovanni Capasso, decided to donate it to the City of Salerno.
After the 2001 restoration, numerous plants, including rare ones, were planted in the garden, giving special emphasis to those species mentioned in Regimen Sanitatis Salernitanum and Opus Pandectarum Medicinae, which were used in the Middle Ages as medicinal plants. In particular, the garden features the legendary mandrake, a plant that was believed to have amazing properties.

Nowadays the Minerva Garden represents a beautiful botanical garden and one of the most important and significant pieces of the rebirth of Salerno's historic center. It is a key stop on all major tours of the city of Salerno. In addition, the garden, in synergy with the “Fondazione Scuola Medica Salernitana” and a number of local associations, offers lively guided tours, reception and cultural refreshment services in line with the history of the places and the memory of the Salerno Medical School. Educational and scientific activities are also held.

The Minerva Garden is structured in terraces in each of which there are pools and fountains that serve the function of irrigation.

Starting from the lowest terracing, we find the seventeenth-century staircase, which connects the various terraces and leads to a pergola-covered belvedere overlooking the historic center of the city of Salerno. Continuing to the second level, we find a basin with a characteristic marble mask, and then continue to a small fountain on the next level. On the last terrace level is an artificial cave with a fishpond, where there is a spring of water. In the last terracing there is an artificial cave with a fishpond, where there is a spring of water.
More than 300 species of plants can be found within the Minerva Garden; among the many species there is Assensio Vero, known since antiquity for its beneficial properties in stimulating appetite and counteracting intestinal colic.

A special feature of this botanical garden is the wide range of herbal teas made directly from the plants in the Minerva Garden at the food court.