Friday, August 1, 2025
The Convent Garden of the Redeemer, an historic site in Venice on Giudecca Island has, for the first time in 500 years, been opened to the public. After a years-long renovation by the Venice Gardens Foundation, the previously hidden garden is now open for visitors, a rare chance to experience one of the city’s most ancient and tranquil green spaces.
Convent Garden of the Redeemer has since the 19th century been used as a secret garden, open only to the nunnery. The restoration, organized by the Venice Gardens Foundation kept the original look of the garden, while updating it to 21st century coolness for sustainability. The garden is now part of Venice’s wider conservation initiatives that aim to preserve its green heritage and highlight the city’s less known cultural treasures.
History of the Convent Garden of the Redeemer
The Convent Garden (Orto) of the Redeemer on Giudecca Island, a relatively peaceful part of the city, not far from the bustle of the center. The garden belongs to the Convent of the Redeemer, which was founded in the late 15th century. The garden later fell into disuse and lay closed to the public for hundreds of years. The restoration began a few years ago and had as its objectives the garden’s recovery and the adaptation of the garden for public visiting.
The restoration was carried out by the Venice Gardens Foundation, a nonprofit group preserving the garden and, with them, what’s left of the city’s culture. All the garden’s historical features, from its layout to its plants to its structures, such as the greenhouse, were preserved with care. However, the design of the garden has remained true to the original vision, with the addition of contemporary, environmentally friendly features.
The garden has been transformed into a green space that preserves its history of splendor and presents a rare view of the lesser-known heritage of Venice to visitors.
At the Convent Garden of the Redeemer
The Convent Garden is open now to visitors during certain hours, which change according to the time of the year. In summer (1 June through 20 September) the garden is open from 10 a.m.-7 p.m., to give visitors plenty of time to wander amidst its green abundance. During the winter season (Nov. 1 to March 31), the hours are shorter: from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Tickets for entry to the garden can be obtained at the Venice Gardens Foundation’s website. General admission tickets from €13.50 ($15.69), with discounts for residents and children 6-12 years old from €7.50 ($8.72). Since the tickets are a limited supply, you can confirm the foundation’s website before visiting the city to make sure you can access the garden at the time of your trip.
Accessing the Garden
Visitors have to reach the Convent Garden of the Redeemer by water taxi to the Redentore stop on the Giudecca Island. This unique type of travel only adds to the charm and provides a new perspective on Venice and its canals while onboard. Once off the water taxi, visitors are asked to proceed on foot along a pathway that is a guide to access the garden.
The garden is situated in a relatively quiet section of Giudecca Island, providing a peaceful respite from the bustling tourist spots of central Venice. Which is why it’s a great place for any tourists hoping to catch their breath among Venice’s famous buildings and canals.
The Garden’s Features and Attractions
Convent Garden The gardens provide ample opportunities for a leisurely stroll beside pristine lawns, weaving paths that are shaded by magnificent trees and tranquil places to sit. Its design mixes indigenous plants with those re-introduced as part of the restoration project, along with trees. The original greenhouse of the garden has also being restored, and it acts as an interesting presentation of the kind of plants that the convent used to grow to make medicine and cook its meals.
The peaceful and historic garden is distinctive among Venice’s many attractions. It’s an opportunity to delve into a slice of the city’s subcultural past that’s been buried for centuries.
Through their commitment, the Venice Gardens Foundation is preserving and restoring to health, Venice’s existing Gardens so that the thousands of visitors who come here each year can continue to enjoy these historic sites. It is with the foundation’s work that this and other gardens in the city have been given a new lease of life, and so Venice’s green heritage has been saved and bequeathed to future generations of visitors.
A Legacy to the Preservation of Venice’s Cultural Heritage
The restoration of the Convent Garden of the Redeemer is part of a larger project by the Venice Gardens Foundation to conserve and safeguard Venice’s historic gardens. Venice’s padri that are green include parks that were based on historical and cultural themes. These Gardens are mostly unknown to the general public and owe their existence to the foundation.
The recovery in the Convent Garden the Redeemer is one of the most recent examples This whole is part of Venice s efforts to protect its cultural and natural treasures. By opening up the garden to the public, the city provides visitors with an opportunity to get a taste of Venice beyond its famous canals and piazzas and closer to the quieter, contemplative side of the city’s history.
Conclusion
A place of worship becoming a public site in Venice is of no small fact in the City’s current cultural and tourism condition. On Giudecca Island, the garden is a rare chance to visit one of Venice’s oldest and most tranquil green spaces. The garden was recently renovated successfully by the Venice Gardens Foundation in a way that respects its history and considers future use.
This new-found garden is just one of a growing number of draws in Venice that give visitors something new and ‘inside’ the city to experience away from its tourist-tangled streets. The garden’s peaceful ambience, historical importance and central location means that it is a must for those who want to explore another side of Venice.
(According to Italy Tourism.)
