History
First opened in the 17th century, until then it had essentially been a large empty space in the city. On 6 January 1798, on Napoleon’s direct orders, the remains of Luigi Zamboni and Giovanni Battista De Rolandis were solemnly buried here. In 1799, with the arrival of the Austrians, the remains were scattered. The current layout, designed by G. B. Martinetti, dates back to the early 19th century, when Napoleon expressed his wish to transform this public space into a French-style garden. Work on the new gardens was completed in 1808. In 1896 the great monumental staircase was built and, later, the circular basin with Diego Sarti’s animal sculptures, created for the Emilian Exhibition held at the Giardini Margherita in 1888, was placed in the park.
Over time the park has hosted numerous city events, a branch of ANPI (the National Association of Italian Partisans), the Settimo Cielo dance hall and, for decades, two nursery schools and the Giaccaglia Betti infant centre.
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