Botanical Garden in Pisa / Orto Botanico di Pisa

This is the university botanical garden, considered the oldest in the world - it has been around since the 16th century! Located not far from the Leaning Tower, it allows you to take a break from the city noise. On a hot day, you can find benches and blissful shade here. The garden area is not particularly large, so exploring it won't tire you out. You will find many interesting plant facts here, and as our daughter said, 'this garden is cooler than that tower' - I don't think you need a better recommendation!

The paths in the garden are gravelly, which may not be comfortable for strollers.

Bamboo Grove

The bamboo grove in the garden made a tremendous impression on us - amidst the plants, there are well-trodden paths that truly make you feel like you're in a forest. You can also see cut bamboo trunks. Although bamboo resembles a tree, it is actually a grass of impressive size and is the fastest-growing plant in the world! From the moment it sprouts, bamboo can grow up to 1 meter per day without any artificial fertilizers. A characteristic feature of bamboo is its growth nodes, which divide the stem into sections at regular intervals. Bamboo has very strong yet lightweight wood, which is why it has been used since ancient times to build houses, bridges, rafts, weapons, and musical instruments. ASUS allegedly launched the production of laptops with a casing made of 85% bamboo!

Banana Flowers

The banana plant is one of the oldest plants cultivated by humans. Its characteristic feature is the absence of a trunk - the leaves, along with their stalks, form a false trunk. So even though the banana plant looks like a palm tree, it is not one at all! Despite being able to reach massive sizes, it is actually a herb, just like grains, corn, or tomatoes. Banana flowers are edible, similar to artichokes, and taste somewhat like fish meat. Each group of flowers eventually transforms into a bunch of bananas. Another remarkable aspect of this plant is that after bearing fruit, the banana plant essentially dies.

Greenhouses

There are several greenhouses in the garden, including ones with cacti, which were quite sizable. The greenhouses seemed a bit neglected to us, but that might be because we visited the garden in January?

Botanical Museum

There is also a museum on the garden grounds. The building facade is adorned with shells and corals. Inside the building, we can see objects related to the teaching of botany, including many models and miniatures, such as mushrooms.

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Author: Adelina
Publish Date: 2023-02-10