Palazzo Giusti and its garden is one of the hidden jewels of Verona. Located at number two of the homonymous street, it is a few steps from the city center, and very close to the Roman theater.
The origin of this palace dates back to the fifteenth century when the Giusti family moved from Tuscany to Verona to establish their wool dyeing business. In the second half of the sixteenth century, Conte Agostino Giusti had the pre-existing houses demolished to build an L-shaped building spread over three floors: the mezzanine floor, the main floor and the third floor, intended for the service rooms. The Conte arranged the lands behind the palace, inspired by a typical Tuscan Renaissance garden.
Palazzo Giusti Verona: what to see, timetables, prices and useful info
Guide to Palazzo Giusti in Verona: discover what to see in this priceless architectural and naturalistic jewel in the heart of the city of lovers!
Palazzo Giusti
The facade of the building has a large entrance door, flanked by two tuff windows without frames. The remarkable element is the large stone portal, surmounted by an architrave and a massive frame. The coat of arms of the Giusti family is visible in the keystone of the arch.
The main floor, open to the public since 2018, is divided into two apartments and a reception hall. In the apartment located in the east wing, you can see ceilings frescoed in 1721 by Louis Dorigny. In this place, there was the Giusti family collection of antiquities and the picture gallery. In the west wing apartment, there is the so-called Aurora room, frescoed by Francesco Lorenzi.
Giusti garden
Giardino Giusti is a classic example of a Renaissance park, which enchants for the harmony of art and nature, thanks to its mythological statues, fountains, caves, Roman finds, and vases with citrus fruits. It is divided into two parts by a long avenue of cypresses: on one side there is a classic Italian garden divided by symmetrical flowerbeds with box hedges and decorated with mythological statues and Renaissance fountains. On the other side, we find the wood that leads to the upper part of the garden, on which there is a cliff.
Thanks to a game of perspectives, the avenue appears longer than it is, and culminates at the entrance to one of the five caves carved into the cliff. The cave is surmounted by a stone mask.
Next to it, from a turret with a hidden staircase, you can access the belvedere and the upper garden, from which you can admire a sublime view of Verona.
In the garden, there is also a labyrinth, one of the oldest in Europe, created in the sixteenth century but redesigned by the architect Luigi Trezza in 1786.
Many famous people have walked in the shade of the trees of Giardino Giusti, including Goethe, Giuseppe II, Cosimo III de ‘Medici, Mozart and Zar Alessandro. There is also the famous cypress under which Goethe rested during his visit, and mentioned in his work “Journey to Italy” of 1817:
“… I had removed those branches in the Giusti garden, which lies in a pleasant position, and where gigantic cypresses rise, at a great height, in the shape of a pyramid. It is probable that in the artificially cut yews at the tip of the northern gardens, we wanted to imitate this wonderful tree, whose branches all, young and old, from the base to the top all straightened up towards the sky. Desso lives no less than three centuries and can, therefore, be said to be worthy of veneration; judging them from the time when the Giusti garden was planted, they would have already reached that respectable age … ”
The structure visible today in the park is the one conceived by Conte Agostino, although it was rebuilt several times over the years.
Before concluding your visit, we recommend that you take a look at the Maison du Couturier, located where the stables once stood. It is a loft with exposed beams and special lighting, in which the designer Lamberto Petri, founder of the Maison, works.
The perfect end of the day: Restaurant “Signorvino la Torre”
After hours spent in a green oasis, immersed between art and nature, you will enjoy a typical local dinner. The ” Signorvino la Torre” restaurant is located just outside the city, in Dossobuono di Villafranca, and it is ideal for those looking for a quiet setting and perfect for enjoying an elegant dinner in a magical and peaceful place, surrounded by greenery.
The kitchen and the cellar are inspired by the Veronese tradition, and local products are used. The restaurant is easily accessible from the center and is open all year round from Monday to Sunday.
Photo credit: Giardinogiusti.com