One of Vallombrosa’s most unusual places to visit is certainly the botanical garden (or vegetable garden) of local species. Many locals do not know the existence of this small but interesting project brought by the Corpo Forestale dello Stato. I also came to know it only after searching for more information on what is possible to see in Vallombrosa and after visiting it I found it very interesting.
First of all, the botanical garden should not be confused with the experimental arboretum, which is also in Vallombrosa and which houses over 3,000 specimens of trees from around the world.
The Vallombrosa botanical garden contains a collection of about 250 species of small plants and shrubs from the reserve of Vallombrosa. All these plants are carefully reported and are described in a small book that you can borrow at the entrance.
Although the botanical garden is always open to the public, my advice is to visit it in the spring as it is the period in which almost all the plants in it grow. The path inside the garden explains, through information boards, the characteristics of the reserve and also the life cycle of the plants and animals.
Below you can find a map showing where the botanical garden of Vallombrosa is located, remember that opening times are non-existent since it is open all year round at any time.
