Botanical Garden of the University of Bologna

The Orto Botanico dell'Università di Bologna, also known as the Orto Botanico di Bologna, is a botanical garden operated by the University of Bologna. It is located at Via Irnerio, 42, 40126 Bologna, Italy, and open daily except Mondays.

Established in 1568, the garden is one of Europe's oldest, after those of Pisa, Padua, and Florence. Although early records indicate a Bolognese medicinal herb garden dating to 1365, today's garden arose from the proposals of botanist Luca Ghini, who left to create the Orto botanico di Pisa, and became a reality under his successor Ulisse Aldrovandi. Those first gardens were located in the Palazzo Pubblico, in a courtyard near today's Sala Borsa, but partially moved in 1587 to a larger site in Borghetto S. Giuliano, with an area of about 5000 m2. By 1653 the garden's catalog listed approximately 1500 species.