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The gardens and cloisters of the Redentore (“Redeemer”) rise behind the Church of the Santissimo Redentore, on the island of La Giudecca, in Venice, and are managed by the Order of the Capuchin Friars. The gardens of the Redentore retain their original size: they cover an area of about 2.4 acres and are divided into several flower beds, each one featuring its own crops.

There are vines and olive trees used by the friars to produce wine and oil, as well as fruit trees such as apple trees, peach trees, figs and vegetables such as artichokes, lettuce and aromatic herbs.
The original nucleus of the entire complex is the small XVI century church of Santa Maria degli Angeli. In front of it, there’s a grove of olive trees (Olea europea), surrounded on two sides by a brick wall decorated with terracotta tiles of the Via Crucis.

Another (much larger) grove decorates the entire perimeter of the island. It is made up of specimens, including monumental ones, of elms, cypresses, holm oaks (Quercus ilex), laurels (Laurus nobilis), black locusts (Robinia pseudoacacia), hackberry (Celtis australis), and wild privets (Ligustrum vulgare). In this grove, there is still an aviary, a terrace overlooking the lagoon, and a small structure dedicated to the Holy Virgin Mary.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)