By walking along via Donatello, we get to the entrance of the Botanical Garden. Founded in 1545 upon request of the medicine school of the University of Padua, it is the oldest university botanical garden in the world to have kept its original location. Established for the study of “Semplici” (medicinal plants), the Garden has seen the evolution of Botanics from a science applied to medicine to its different current branches. An intense educational and promotional activity is still carried out inside it, as well as diverse research activities, and some rare and endangered species are preserved in it. In the Garden about 6,000 plants are grown, including exotic, medicinal, poisonous and worm-eating plants.
The adjoining Library is worth visiting as well: it enshrines some historical herbals, scientific volumes, and precious illustrated books, many of which are unique items.