The monumental Parco Treves de’ Bonfili, the first park to be designed in the city of Padua, is a significant work designed by Giuseppe Jappelli.
The gardens, built between 1829 and 1835, exploit the spaces between the old hospital and the 16th century walls and constitute the ultimate synthesis between 18th century refinement and the emergence of the new romantic spirit that was spreading in those years. Unfortunately, in 1942 part of the buildings (the caves, the Chinese pagoda, two small bridges and the steps of the riding school) were destroyed and the trees were cut down: the destruction was further aggravated at the end of the Second World War, when heaps of debris were placed on the area of the riding school, thus raising the basin by about two metres; in the meantime the collapse of the ground in the caves had caused the lowering of the hill, completely upsetting the scenography conceived in the original project. The Park was acquired by the Municipality in 1958, which opened it to the public; the recently completed restoration work has recovered, as far as possible, the original layout and structures and reintroduced some ancient and rare plants. It is possible to visit the Upper Monumental Area.
