The RASPONI GARDEN (or Garden of Forgotten Herbs) is a charming green corner in the centre of Ravenna, in the shadow of the Cathedral‘s dome and of the Neonian Baptistery, at the crossroads of Via Rasponi and Via Guerrini.
With its herbs and a small open-air shop/bistrot, this place is a tiny haven of peace and beauty where history and nature meet to offer the people of Ravenna an alternative destination for their walks.
In the past, it was the garden of the most ancient residence of the Rasponi family, the so-called Palazzo Rasponi Murat, dating back to the 15th century. Around 1780, the whole building underwent renovation works, some of which were carried out in the garden by architect Camillo Morigia, the one who designed Dante Alighieri’s tomb.
The 19th-century layout, which still has a small wrought-iron fountain at its centre, has been preserved, and the beds of Mediterranean herbs and other lesser-known species, handed down in the apothecaries’ recipe books, have been philologically revived.
The walls surrounding it absorb the noise of the city, creating a magic atmosphere enhanced by the colours and scents of the cultivated herbs. The view is instead captured by an unusual perspective of Ravenna, with the dome of the Cathedral and its round bell tower.
