Gavinell Botanical Garden

In the hills above Salsomaggiore, the Gavinell Botanical Garden is a place you don't expect to find — and one that stays with you. Nothing grand: a small, lovingly tended garden dedicated to medicinal plants, aromatic herbs and local wild species.

The visit works best if you take it slowly — this is a place of scents, small botanical discoveries, and the pleasure of recognising a plant you've seen a hundred times without knowing its name. If you love gardens, herbal traditions or simply the unhurried rhythm of walking among plants, you'll find a couple of hours very well spent here.

It pairs well with a morning in Salsomaggiore or an afternoon at the Tabiano thermal spa. Particularly lovely in spring and early autumn, when the blooms and colours are at their best.

Check the official website before visiting for seasonal openings and visiting arrangements — it's not open every day.