Giardino di Strassoldo di Sotto

The park around the Castle of Strassoldo di Sotto is one of the most interesting in Friuli both for its exceptionally well-preserved state and because it marks the beginning of landscape gardening in that area. In fact it was here that the formal elements of the 1700s style garden was re-considered in relation to nature.

The Strassoldo family improved the terrain of the estate by reclaiming the swampy, unkempt areas once used for defence purposes. In addition to this many other innovative interventions were carried out, especially by Nicolò Francesco (1701-1779) who transformed the estate into fertile ground and developed the garden. On the façade of the castle a memorial plaque dedicated to the Count’s activities can still be seen today. An area once occupied by woods and karst springs was converted into an gardening arrangement where water became a dominating artistic element with fountains, wells, and ponds serving as a natural mirror to elegant, precious 18th-century statues.

One especially well-constructed rectangular island can be found towards the border of the park; a deep ditch bounds the perimeter of the island, which once contained a miniature Italian-style garden with criss-crossing paths, a circular resting area and decorative box and evergreen hedges. Today the green areas contain lush vegetation: there is a box plant from the 1700s and lovely old rose bushes, which still today transform this garden into a precious gem surrounded by shimmering waters.

Alongside ancient and rare specimens, the park include many other beautiful trees typical of this zone: horse-chestnuts, hornbeams, alders, birches, beeches, and acacias.