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Infopoint Maderno Tel. 324 8805863
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Infopoint Toscolano Tel. 331 2356766
Infopoint Maderno Tel. 324 8805863
Infopoint Toscolano Tel. 331 2356766
The Ghirardi Botanical Gardens, on the shores of Lake Garda in Toscolano Maderno is an extraordinarily important research and teaching centre. Covering an area of approximately 10,000 sq m, since 2012 it has been managed by the Department of Science of the University of Milan and classified as a museum collection by the Region of Lombardy.
It was founded in 1964 by Giordano Emilio Ghirardi, owner of Milanese pharmaceutical company, SIMES, and was created as an experimental agrarian station, dedicated to the study of medicinal plants. From the outside, the Gardens have collected rare species as active ingredients for research into cardiac and cancer treatments, such as Camptotheca acuminata, introduced for the first time in Italy in this very place. After Ghirardi’s death in 1991, the Gardens were donated to the university with the task of continuing its mission of research into medicinal plants.
The plants do not follow a particular order in terms of landscape or taxonomy. They are placed according to their ability to adapt to the specific environment of Lake Garda. Over the last few decades, the university has made significant improvements to the structure, including building a new greenhouse for more delicate plant species, and installing an automatic irrigation system.
The research activities are focused on the potential of plants as active ingredients for use in the food, medicine and cosmetics industries. Working with the Parco Alto Garda Bresciano Mountain Community, the Garden is engaged in studying native plants and plays an active role in maintaining local biodiversity.
The plant collections include varieties from the Solanaceae, Apocynaceae, Apiaceae, Lamiaceae and Rutaceae families. More recent research has looked at the Solanum malacoxylon for its ability to produce dihydroxyvitamin D3 and Vitis vinifera for the study of polyphenols.
The Gardens are also an important teaching centre, with educational activities for all ages, and it also hosts students and researchers on exchange programmes from international institutions such as the Botanical Gardens of Valencia. This educational role has also been enriched by the presence of typical plants and flowers from Lombardy and the prealpine area, introduced to boost students’ botanical knowledge.
Particular focus has been placed on the collection of Digitalis, known for its medicinal properties and the easy hybridation between biannual species. In spite of the partial loss of the historic collection, the university is committed to rebuilding it completely, preserving a priceless wealth of knowledge for future generations.
Visiting the Ghirardi Botanical Gardens offers a unique opportunity to explore a wealth of nature and to appreciate the importance of scientific research in botany.