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Bosco Virgiliano is a public park designed and built by the architect Giuseppe Roda, the one who created the gardens and parks of the Savoia family and had already worked in some Mantuan gardens, in 1930, on the occasion of the two-thousandth anniversary of the birth of poet Virgil.

The great Latin poet, Publio Virgilio Marone, was also born in the nearby town of Pietole Vecchia, the ancient Roman “Andes”.

Giuseppe Roda wanted to recreate a wooded garden intended for pleasure and relaxation as they used to do in ancient Rome.
The long driveway, with a double row of black poplars (Populus nigra italica), reaches a large circular square, for hosting “historical and patriotic shows”. The same square is also the hub of a dense network of walkways. At the very center of the square, there’s a bust of Virgil on a high pedestal, flanked, by a forest, an original vegetable labyrinth (which has now disappeared), a small pond, a “pomarium” (“orchard”), and a vineyard.

Many plants were originally planted at the time, all chosen from Virgil’s works and accounts: 500 conifers, 2,900 trees, 15,000 shrubs of various species, and several thousand fruit trees. Each one was labeled with a plate with its Latin name and the specific reference to Virgil’s mention.

During the XX century, the park underwent several changes, especially due to the prolonged lack of maintenance of the plant species unsuitable for the locale climate and soil.

Today, Bosco Virgiliano is the largest park in the city and it is managed by the “Anticittà Association”.

In the old abandoned greenhouses, there are several colonies of butterflies, while cultural and recreational activities and events are regularly organized in the green area.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)