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  • Ottone Botanical Garden, Portoferraio.zoom in altra finestra
  • Ottone Botanical Garden, Portoferraio.zoom in altra finestra

"Ottone" Botanical Garden

The "Ottone" Garden was born in 1910 by initiative of Giuseppe Garbari, a wealthy landowner from Trent who purchased a large tract of land to cultivate exotic species. Located some 400 metres from the sea, the land is in the vicinity of Giorgio Roster’s "Ottonella" Garden. It was probably Roster himself who convinced his friend to create a new acclimatization garden. In 1913, "Ottone" Garden already had 36 different species of palm. At Roster’s death (January 17, 1927), Garbari sold the garden. The successive owners have substantially respected the original layout.

Renovated in 1986-1987, the garden is subdivided into 8 sectors, in respect of the original layout. It occupies a surface area of approximately 2 hectares, and a card illustrates every plant. With its exotic plants and rare palm trees, "Ottone" is today the best private acclimatization garden in Tuscany.

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Texts by Graziano Magrini

English translation by Victor Beard

Last update 16/feb/2008