Italy - Ventimiglia, Hanbury Botanical Gardens

The Hanbury Botanical Gardens (Giardini Botanici Hanbury) have their origin in 1867, when Thomas Hanbury bought the ancient Palazzo Orengo and the adjacent pieces of land, in order to transform them into a garden of exotic plants. Half of the gardens are cultivated with (sub)tropical plants; the other half is occupied by a Mediterranean self-vegetation. In the garden one can discover for instance agaves, aloes, succulent plants, cactuses and citrus and exotic fruits trees.

After some years the garden was well-known because of its richness in plants and the importance of its collection. The Hanbury Botanical Gardens extends on a surface of 18 hectares, nearby the frontier between Italy and France. In 1960 the garden - which was seriously damaged during World War II - was sold to the Italian state. In 1987 the management of the garden was entrusted to the University of Genua. In 2001 the Hanbury Botanical Gardens became also a nature reserve.

We had read many positive reviews about the gardens, but honestly, we were quite disappointed. It made a rather 'withered' impression on us.