Orto Botanico

Portici , Italy

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Orto Botanico di Portici is a 20,000-square-meter botanical garden in Portici, Italy, managed by the University of Naples Federico II's Agriculture Department and located on the grounds of the historic Royal Palace of Portici.

Established in 1872 after the palace's ornamental gardens were transformed for scientific and educational purposes by botany professor Nicola Antonio Pedicino, it houses over 4,000 plant specimens from about 1,000 species, with standout collections of desert plants including more than 600 succulents like cacti, agaves, aloes, and the rare Welwitschia mirabilis.​

The garden features diverse sections such as palms, ferns, conifers, carnivorous plants, and edible or medicinal species, plus a 1,000-square-meter heated greenhouse for succulents, all set amid holm oak woods near Mount Vesuvius. Open weekdays with advance reservations required and a small admission fee, it serves as both a research site and a serene visitor spot blending natural beauty with botanical education.​