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Historic garden · Štanjel, Obalno-kraška
Ferrari Garden
A terraced garden below Štanjel’s walls, designed by Max Fabiani in the 1920s and 1930s for Dr. Enrico Ferrari, featuring an oval lake, an islet and a Venetian-style bridge.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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About Ferrari Garden
The Ferrari Garden (Ferrarijev vrt) lies just below Štanjel’s walls, beside the Ferrari hamlet, a group of medieval houses leaning against the old east wall. Between the 1920s and 1930s the architect Max Fabiani transformed the former rural estate into a village and designed the garden for the Triestine doctor Enrico Ferrari and his family.
Fabiani followed the land’s contours and built the garden on terraces supported by stone retaining walls and stairways, echoing the slopes of the Karst, combining elements from different periods, from the Renaissance to Secession. The best-known part is the oval lake with an islet, connected to the shore by a bridge reminiscent of Venice. Water comes from a system that collected rain from the whole hill into cisterns, used to irrigate the garden and fill the lake.
The garden is considered the main Slovenian landscape project of the interwar period and is a cultural monument of national importance. It is reached via the Kobdilj tower, one of the wall towers. From the lower paths the view opens onto the Branica valley and the hill slopes covered with vineyards.
Before you go
Practical information
Cidade Turismo reviews its information regularly, but something may have changed. Check with the place before planning your trip.
How much time to set aside
30 minutes to an hour.
Best time
In spring, when magnolias and other garden plants typically bloom, and in early autumn. In summer, prefer early morning or late afternoon.
How to get there
On foot from the village of Štanjel: the path passes the Kobdilj tower and descends to the terraces in a few minutes.
Tip
Descend to the lowest terrace and look up: from there you can see the whole composition, with the lake, the bridge and the walled village in the background.
Official website
Get your questions answered
Frequently asked questions about Ferrari Garden
Who designed the Ferrari Garden of Štanjel?
The architect Max Fabiani, in the 1920s and 1930s, for the physician Enrico Ferrari from Trieste.
What to see in the Ferrari Garden?
The terraces with stone walls, the oval pond with a small islet and a Venetian-style bridge, plus the view over the Branica valley.
Where does the water for the Ferrari Garden pond come from?
From a system created by Fabiani that collected rainwater from the Štanjel hill into cisterns.