Warning
Due to the current health emergency situation visiting times and arrangements may be subject to change. It is therefore advisable to check these by contacting the garden directly.
In a visionary architectural setting, seemingly carved into the rock, a phantasmagoria of different styles alternates between medieval evocations and Moorish elements, arranged on terraces among several recently-restored gardens.
The visionary brainchild of businessman Tommaso Bortolotti, created between 1835 until his death in 1872, derives its name from the German word Zu Zoll (Customs), because of the customs post in the village of Lavis, on the border between the County of Tyrol and the Episcopal principality of Trento. After falling into decay, the site was recently restored in a historical reconstruction based on existing documentation. The complex combined learned citations and naive elements with casual eclecticism. Against a dreamlike backdrop, architectural scenes of a crusader castle and a Renaissance palace, a spire and a staircase in Moorish style follow one another on different perspective planes. A complex irrigation system of cisterns and fountains made it possible to plant the terraced gardens, while greenhouses offer protection to the most delicate plants. From the bottom up, the terraces feature: the palazzo parterre with ground-cover plants, bulbous plants and herbaceous perennials; a formal secret garden; an orchard at the “crusader castle” with ornamental varieties of fruit trees; “themed” gardens with five steeply-sloping side terraces of flowering herbaceous perennials; a topiary plant-constructed green aviary; and the “upper pergola”, with its heirloom varieties of roses. A complex network of pathways, ranging from oblique staircases to sunken paths and internal passageways connects the different levels and has an aesthetic function, adding to the garden’s charms.
Highlights
The Bazaar of Styles
The centre of the composition is a church whose facade is crowned in a triangular neo-gothic style tympanum; next to it, an impressive neo-Renaissance loggia, while walls topped with oriental battlements enliven the pathways.
The Mock-Ruined Castle
A mock-ruined castle with a portico, a lower cryptoporticus and an upper turret with neo-Moorish openings overlooks the entire valley.
Greenhouses
Some remaining traces of the original greenhouses and technological systems for heating the winter garden to house Bortolotti’s collections – palms, magnolias, oranges, lemons and aromatic herbs –give an idea of the garden’s original complexity.
Giardino dei Ciucioi Contacts
Contacts
Telephone:Per informazioni contattare l’Ecomuseo Argentario telefonando al +39 335 6514145 oppure al +39 0461 858400 (Biblioteca Civezzano)
Address
Vicolo dei Ciucioi
38015, Lavis (TN)
Giardino dei Ciucioi Opening times and prices
Opening hours
Winter openings
The Garden will be open until the end of the year during the following hours:
- Saturday and Sunday
- 9.30, 11.00, 12.30, 14.00, 15.30
Pricing
- Adults: € 5,00 online
- Children 6-12 years: € 3,00 online
- Children under 6 years: free admission
- Organized groups: € 100,00
- With Trentino Guest Card (valid only with online booking): free entrance
Access to the garden is only allowed with a guide.
Reservation is required on
website
of the Garden.
Guided tours take place every Saturday and Sunday at the following times: 9.30 am / 11.00 am/ 12.30 / 2.00 pm/ 3.30 pm
For any free cancellation/modification of the online booking please write to the e-mail address (from Monday to Friday) or call +39 335 6514145.
Giardino dei Ciucioi How to get there
Address
Vicolo dei Ciucioi
38015, Lavis (TN)
Latitude: 46.1387805
Longitude: 11.1179099
How to arrive by road
A22 Motorway:
- From the north: exit S. Michele all’Adige at 8 KM
- From the South: exit Trento Nord at 4 Km
How to arrive by train
You can take the train on the Trento – Malè railway line, managed by Trentino Trasporti: starting from Trento, the Trento-Malè station is next to the main station. Lavis is a suburb of Trento and is still in the urban area of the capital. You can buy it at the tobacconist’s or directly at the ticket office (not in the main Trentitalia station but in the Trento-Malè one). From the train stop, Giardino dei Ciucioi is a 10/15 minute walk.
How to arrive by bus
You can reach Lavis easily by public transport from Trento. Thecity bus nr 17 takes you directly to the garden (the bus stop is at the Lazzera bridge).
Giardino dei Ciucioi Services/Accessibility
Services
Pets are allowed as long as they are held in their arms or away from the group.
Guided tours
- The guided tours, organized by the Ecomuseo Argentario, last about 1 hour and 15 minutes and are available in Italian, English and German. It is an easy route suitable for everyone. To be considered the presence of many steps, exposed balconies and narrow passages that can create some discomfort for those suffering from vertigo or claustrophobia. We accept groups up to a maximum of 20 people.
The restoration was commissioned and financed by the Municipality of Lavis under the supervision of the Superintendency of Cultural Heritage of the Autonomous Province of Trento.
Giardino dei Ciucioi Private events
Giardino dei Ciucioi Itineraries
You could find the garden in these itineraries
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