About Parco Sigurtà | Italy’s Most Beautiful Park
Parco Sigurtà is one of the top landscaped parks in Italy and has many enchanting sights to see and experience. Located near Lake Garda and the cities of Mantua and Verona, and spans an area of 150 acres.
Here you can explore enchanting naturally landscaped gardens, vast green lawns, annual seasonal flowerings of tulips, roses, begonias, irises, water lilies, crocuses, and many more. This award-winning park was opened to the public by the Sigurtà family in 1978 and attracts millions of visitors every year.
Parco Sigurtà Overview
Location: Valeggio sul Mincio, Verona, Italy
Opening times: March to November, 9 AM - 6 PM
Established: 1978
Area: 150 acres
Visitors: Around 1 million each year
Number of Flowers: Over 1 million
Plan Your VisitWhat is Parco Sigurtà?
Parco Sigurtà, or Sigurta Park, is a large park that is located near Lake Garda and the cities of Mantua and Verona. Spanning over 150 acres, it was opened to the public by the Sigurtà family in 1978. However, the park itself dates back to the 15th century.
Today, the gardens feature wide meadow areas, small woods, a 400-year-old oak tree, water features, a maze, and a herb garden. The park is also known for the thousands of flowers that bloom all year round, including tulips, roses, begonias, irises, water lilies, crocuses, and many more.
Book Tickets to Parco SigurtàWhy Visit Parco Sigurtà?
Parco Sigurtà is one of the most popular parks in Italy, and is known for its enchanting naturally landscaped gardens. It has won numerous awards including "Second Most Beautiful Park in Europe 2015", "World Tulip Award 2019", and "Best Attraction in the World 2020".
Apart from the natural beauty, there are also lots of attractions that you can visit like the Maze, the Votive Grotto, the Romeo and Juliet Horizontal Sundial, the Castelletto, the Hermitage, and the Lover’s Bench among others. Parco Sigurtà also has an Educational Farm, where you can learn all about how to care for farm animals like chickens, goats, and ducks.
Plan Your Visit to Parco Sigurtà
Location
Address: Via Cavour, 1, 37067 Valeggio sul Mincio VR, Italy
Parco Sigurtà is located in the region of Valeggio sul Mincio, near Lake Garda and the cities of Mantua and Verona.
Get Directions to Parco Sigurtà
Opening Hours
Sigurtà Garden Park is open from 6 March to 13 November 2022.
April to September: 9 AM - 7 PM (last admission at 6 PM)
March, October and November: 9 AM - 6 PM (last admission at 5 PM)
Best Time to Visit Parco SigurtàHistory of Parco Sigurtà in a Nutshell
1407: The Venetian patrician Gerolamo Nicolò Contarini bought the property which was used as an orchard and for agricultural purposes.
1417: A large main house (a domus magna) was added to the property, with a small formal garden.
1430s: The estate was sold to the Guarienti family, who owned it for 190 years, until 1616. During this time, the property was improved, with the addition of a hunting ground, and improved gardens with “panoramic paths”.
1616: The property passed to the Maffei family, who made significant changes to the property, including building a more “modern” stately home, and, in 1699m gaining irrigation rights from the nearby River Mincio.
1759-1836: Marquis Antonio Maffei transformed 22 hectares of the property into a romantic English garden. He also added a neo-Gothic temple (now called the Hermitage), the Castelletto, and the Grotto.
1859: During the battle of Solferino and San Martino, Franz Josef of Austria and Napoleon III of France came to the Park.
1836-1929: The garden passed to the Marquis’s daughter Anna, wife of Count Filippo Nuvoloni. Unfortunately, under the Nuvoloni family, there was a slow decline of the garden
1929-1941: In 1929, the whole estate was sold to Maria Paulo, and in 1941, again to Dr. Giuseppe Carlo Sigurtà. Dr. Sigurtà began the work of redeveloping and restoring the gardens and its monuments. It spread from the original 22 hectares to 60 hectares.
1978: On March 19, 1978, Dr. Sigurtà opened the gardens to the public.
1990s-present: Dr. Sigurtà’s descendants Magda and Giuseppe continue to preserve and expand the park, adding the Horizontal Sundial in 1990, the Maze in 2011, and expanding tulips in the garden.
Design & Landscape of Parco Sigurtà
Parco Sigurta was originally landscaped under Marquis Antonio Maffei (1759-1836), at the suggestion of his nephew Ippolito Pindemont.
It was transformed into an “English Garden” and presented an idealized view of nature, giving the appearance of a natural landscape. This was enhanced with a few monuments, such as the Hermitage and Castelletto, which were seen as places for conversation, reading, and music.
Later, in the 1940s, Dr. Giuseppe Carlo Sigurtà restored and expanded the gardens, highlighting the existing ancient trees and box bushes. His descendants continued this work, adding the Horizontal Sundial and the Maze, which is planted with 1,500 yew trees.
They have also expanded the tulips, transforming them into a show of a million bulbs that is regarded as among the most important in Europe.
What To Do at Parco Sigurtà?
Walk down the Avenue of Roses
Walk down this kilometer-long path in the park that is lined with over 30,000 Queen Elizabeth, Hybrid Polyantha, and Floribunda roses. It is one of the park’s most photographed attractions.
Explore the Maze and Box Bushes
Wind your way through this labyrinth made of yew trees and spread over an area of 2,500 meters square. Then walk among the surreally shaped box trees across the park.
Enjoy the Enchanting Monuments
Explore 18th century neo-Gothic Hermitage that overlooks the Votive Grotto and the Castelletto, and the more modern Romeo and Juliet Horizontal Sundial.
Relax on the Great Lawn
Relax on the expansive laws at the center of the park, or spread out with a picnic. Around it are wooded areas and flower beds, and the famous 400-year-old Great Oak.
Ride the Park Railway
The small park rail follows a panoramic “enchanted trail” and passes all of the park’s top highlights. There are also guides to tell you about the park. Note that the train requires a separate ticket.
Admire the Water Gardens
See the water gardens that are filled with water lilies, Japanese Koi carp, and reflect the nearby Scaligero Castle. During Tulipanomania, they feature colorful rotating tulip beds.
Visit the Farm and Deer Valley
Explore the educational farm where you can learn about all kinds of farmyard animals, and interact with them. Or see the special area for reserved for the majestic fallow deer.
See the Dog Cemetery and Herb Garden
Visit the quiet area near the Hermitage that is a resting place for the faithful pets of the Sigurtà family, and don’t miss the garden dedicated to growing over 40 types of medicinal herbs and plants.
Events at Parco Sigurtà
There are a number of events that take place at Parco Sigurtà.
Spring:
- Tribute to Women: On 7-8 March, women enter for free
- Tulipmania: The blooming period of more than a million tulips is in March and April
- Artist Saturday: Art from 30+ artists is displayed in the park on two Saturdays in March
- Easter Egg Hunt: A search for easter eggs hidden in the gardens in April.
- Tulipanintrucco & Rosatrucco: Artists of the Italian Body Painting Festival paint the faces of visitors on two weekends in April and May
- Buskers Park: Street artists put on entertaining and surprising shows on the last Sunday in May.
- Spring Race: An annual race where you can either run or walk through the summer blooms.
Summer:
- Nature and Health: Sessions dedicated to wellness with yoga, pilates, gymnastics, and more in June and July
- Wild Goose Chase: Over 100 art installations made from recycled materials form an unusual game from June - September
- Sheep Shearing: Shearers at the park’s educational farm will remove the fleece of 20 sheep to prepare them for the summer heat in early June.
- Children's Day: A day in June filled with shows, games, and entertainment for young visitors.
- Mille Miglia: A car race featuring over four hundred vintage cars passes through the park on 15 June
- Stars of the Opera: Famous opera singers perform on one night in August.
- Magical World of Cosplay: Two days dedicated to cosplay from 3-4 September.
- Journey Through Time: A special event dedicated to the 1800s, with period carriages, music, and historical costumes.
Autumn:
- Children's Day: An event featuring a range of shows and games for children on 9 October.
- Autumn Artist Saturday: Two more Saturdays in October when the paintings of the park are displayed in the park, and online.
- Halloween: A day full of events and themed activities set against the autumn-colored trees on 30 October.
- Halloween Run: The park’s annual run on 6 November, with three routes ranging from 2 to 10 km.
Frequently Asked Questions About Parco Sigurtà
A. Parco Sigurtà is a landscaped park spanning 150 acres and located near Lake Garda near Verona in Italy.
A. Parco Sigurtà is one of the top parks in Italy, and has won many awards for its stunning landscaped beauty.
A. Yes, Parco Sigurtà has undertaken measures to ensure public safety at all times, such as distancing protocols, rigorous cleaning regulations, and more.
A. Tickets to Parco Sigurtà are available starting from €13.50.
A. You can buy your tickets to Parco Sigurtà online here.
A. Parco Sigurtà has a number of highlights such as the Avenue of Roses, the Water Gardens the Maze, the Great Lawns, and the Votive Grotto, among others.
A. Parco Sigurtà was originally designed in the 1700s, by Marquis Antonio Maffei. It was later redeveloped and restored Dr. Giuseppe Carlo Sigurtà.
A. Parco Sigurtà is located in Valeggio sul Mincio, a small town located in the province of Verona in Italy.
A. You can get to Park Guell in Barcelona via car, bus, train, and bicycle.
A. Parco Giardino Sigurtà is open from 6 March 2022 until 13 November 2022. It is open every day from 9 AM - 7 PM (last admission at 6 PM). In the months of March, October, and November closing is at 6 PM (last admission at 5 PM).
