Villa Mirasasso, a botanical garden, green house and park since 1848

I’m thrilled and enthusiastic about this last discovery, and I can’t wait to tell you what I saw today. I found, just a few kilometers from my house, a little Schönbrunn that I didn’t know existed. It’s the Mirasasso Villa that is very similar to the gardens in Vienna, with a greenhouse of palms, with a central glass dome and two side aisles filled with exotic plants from all over the world.

The villa was built in 1848 by a Greek family that lived in Trieste, in a period when nobles used to use the Karst as their second residence for vacations. It was Giovanni Scaramangà di Hiccolo  Cavaliere that decided to build the Mirasasso Villa (to admire stones) to contrast the beauty of Trieste’s Castle of Miramare (to admire the sea).

His passion for botany brought him to buy the land round the villa to build what became a wonderful Italian garden. As a business man, Giovanni brought to this place seeds from all over the Mediterranean and from North America,  trees from Japan and conifers from Asia and Europe.

There are many wonders to admire in the park: the renaissance decorations, century old cedar trees, a pond with fish and a perfectly symmetrical garden.

The Scaramagnà family owned the villa until 1948. And then, once it became nationalized it had many different owners until the Commune of Sežana became its owner in 1957.

With 170 vegetables species and over 700 plants that extend over an hectare, the botanical garden is considered a natural and architectonic heritage of great value for the country.

Villa Mirasasso is open to the public all non festive days from 7am to 3pm and the entrance is free.

The most incredible thing, fundamental to know, is that anyone who’d like to, can use the green areas for events (weddings, parties): the doors of the garden are open to host events that will never be forgotten (and at an incredibly competitive price).

So if you are planning a special event for this spring and still need a location, this is the right moment to book the Mirasasso Villa, a small corner of paradise at your disposal. I’m already thinking about what to celebrate here!