In 1994, an Australian game warden made a sensational discovery: he found nearly a hundred specimens of Wollemia nobilis – which was formerly thought to have been extinct – hidden in a ravine. Like many other fossils, evidence shows that the conifer grew prolifically all over the world – up until 65 million years ago. This remarkable find must surely represent the last living specimens of Wollemia nobilis on the planet. Interestingly, the plants he discovered were all genetically identical: they are clones of each other. The whereabouts of the original 100 plants that were growing in the wild is top secret; this is a precaution taken in order to protect them from diseases. In 1999, an international programme was started that aims to propagate this fascinating species and ensure its survival.
In April 2006, the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle became the first botanical garden in Italy to receive a specimen of this rare conifer. It grows in the Fern Glen together with other “living fossils” such as Ginkgo biloba and Metasequoia glyptostroboides.

The financial support of the Südtiroler Sparkasse bank made the acquisition possible.

In order to test the hardiness of the plant through the winter months, Trauttmansdorff and the Australian government agreed that the conifer should remain outdoors – and will be replaced if it suffers frost damage.

A very old and particularly beautiful specimen of Rhododendron arboreum was brought by special transport from Lake Maggiore near Como, Italy, to the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle. It is between five and six metres tall.

Trauttmansdorff’s Mediterranean Sun Gardens are home to a 700-year-old Sardinian olive tree. When it was planted it weighed an astonishing 5.8 tons, which necessitated the building of specially built vehicle to transport it. The circumference of its ancient trunk is 3 metres and has a diameter of 93 cm at chest height.
The gnarled old fellow has the unmistakable majestic silhouette of an ancient olive tree. Olive trees are generally regarded to be the longest living plants grown.

In 2006, the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle assumed patronage of the Versoaln – the world’s largest and probably oldest grape vine. About 15 kilometres from the Gardens, at the foot of Katzenzungen Castle in Prissiano, the 350-year-old vine’s canopy covers a surface area of about 350 square metres. The only other vine in the world that has a similar age is in Maribor, Slovenia.
The Versoaln (also known as Versailles) is a native grape indigenous to South Tyrol that used to grow mainly on the steep slopes of the Venosta Valley. Its fruity wine has a green hue and is well structured with mild acidity. Tastings are possible as a part of the Gardens & Wine Enjoyment Package.

East Asian cultural history is vividly illustrated here: there is an ornamental rice Paddy just below the castle, a tea plantation, cherry blossom trees and a Japanese garden with characteristic water, stone and plant elements.

This innovative planting of flowers is unique in the world: the 1,500 square meters of nearly vertical beds planted in reinforced earth bring visitors face-to-face with plants of every colour imaginable.

Beneath the castle lies a meadow with a multitude of flowers in every colour: ever changing, constantly in motion - every season brings a new look.

In June, a shining blue lavender field transports visitors to Provence: it is a model landscape straight out of the French Riviera.

The Water and Terraced Gardens showcase various styles of European gardens. In the centre of the maze, there is a pomegranate tree: if two lovers enter from different sides, they will meet under the tree.

Disparate colours and forms meld into a rich composition of blossoms, as if they were painted by strokes of a brush.

Next to the Water Lily Pond, more than 87 different varieties of camellia bloom in spring and autumn under exotic Chusan palms.

The Lemon Terrace has a La Dolce Vita vibe: it screams, “Sit and relax”. In addition to flowering and fruit-bearing lemon and orange trees, there are exotic kumquat trees, citron trees and spectacular Buddha’s Hand trees.

Trauttmansdorff has the largest publicly accessible sage collection in Italy; the collection comprises a mind-boggling 153 different varieties.

Italy’s northernmost olive grove thrives at Trauttmansdorff. Red poppies shining in the barley fields signal spring – which eventually gives way to summer and its thousands of blooming sunflowers. A 700-year-old Sardinian olive tree completes the picture-perfect Mediterranean scene.

From jet black to dazzling white and every colour of the rainbow in between: every year more than 200,000 tulips herald the arrival of spring. In 2009, the Trauttmansdorff Tulip joined these legions of flowers after being specially bred for the Gardens.

These beauty queens from England will leave you speechless. Walk through the Sense Garden, English Garden and Rose Garden – and get ready to be enchanted by a medley of colours and aromas.

When autumn blankets all the trees and bushes with her warm red-and-yellow glow, everybody knows it harvest time: figs, grapes, chestnuts, pomegranates and olives are ripe to be picked. And, of course, the liquid gold that comes from the latter: premium olive oil.