THE GARDENS OF THE REDENTORE ON GIUDECCA

The Venice Gardens Foundation, chaired by Adele Re Rebaudengo, is dedicated to the protection of nature and the promotion of art through the implementation of projects for the restoration and conservation of the botanical and artistic heritage.
The Foundation, chaired by Adele Re Rebaudengo, is currently involved in the restoration of the monastery gardens of the church of the Santissimo Redentore, which include the kitchen garden, the gardens overlooking the lagoon, the meditation chapels, the old workshops, the greenhouse and the apiary.

A historical and symbolic place and a great expression of Capuchin spirituality, stretching from the Giudecca Canal to the lagoon, the Redentore complex was built by the Serenissima and Pope Gregory XIII as a symbol of gratitude and rebirth after the plague of 1575-1577.

Deeply marked by the passage of time and the acqua granda (flood tide) of November 2019, the monumental compendium was entrusted to the Venice Gardens Foundation by the Provincial Curia of the Friars Minor Capuchin, with the authorisation of the Holy See (Congregatio pro Institutis Vitae Consecratae et Societatibus Vitae Apostolicae) and the Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio, in order to prevent the traces of such an important landscape heritage from being lost.

The Venice Gardens Foundation is carrying forward this project with the aim of restoring, maintaining, cultivating the site and opening it to the public while preserving the spirit of the place, thanks also to the generous contribution of the VIF and other important patrons. The project is based on the historical tradition of monastic gardens and kitchen gardens, their richness and their capacity for experimentation, and at the same time looks to the future with a conscious and responsible commitment: sustainability and self-sufficiency are the guiding principles.

The botanical restoration project has been entrusted to Paolo Pejrone, an internationally renowned gardener and landscape architect, and the architectural restoration to Alessandra Raso, an architect involved in the restoration of important historical and artistic complexes and projects for cultural institutions, including the Venice Biennale and the Triennale in Milan.