Two months Nonna loves best: September and early October in Venice, which she considers summer with a bonus: It’s harvest time in the Lagoon (la vendemmia!) and the flowers and vegetables in the Venetian garden enjoy a “second spring”.

So true - plants look visibly refreshed after a very dry summer, and it will remain like this at least until mid-October when the first signs of autumn appear (which in Venice are the leaves of vitis sylvestris turning reddish).

Each month at La Terrazza, you’ll discover the stories of a secret garden located five minutes from Piazza San Marco, Venetian garden heritage, botanical cuisine and historical recipes. Click here for a virtual tour!

When Spices were Cultivated in Venice

A garden visit I’ll never forget: Despite growing up in Venice and writing a garden blog since 2012, I never expected gardens like these existed in the Lagoon!

So grateful to my friends Anna and Giuseppe, who made the visit possible for our Venetian Instagram group. For years, I had been reading about the former spice gardens of Venice, but it was an incredible experience to visit the last surviving in our city. Click on the link below to explore this incredibly lush garden with us.

Terrazza San Zaccaria

When Spices Were Cultivated in Venice

Cultivating spices in the Lagoon of Venice? Yes, we’re talking of cinnamon and pepper, cardamom and saffron, to name just a few. In this post, a special journey awaits you, back to the year 1500, when spice plants were considered “normal” plants in Venetian gardens…

7 months ago · 2 likes · Iris Loredana

My Venetian Fall Garden

This is the first post of our series Abitare in Giardino - Living in a Venetian garden: You’ll discover the San Zaccaria gardens, of course, but it’s also about gardening in the Lagoon, and practical gardening tips!

Terrazza San Zaccaria

My Venetian Fall Garden

Tiny blossoms of sedum spectabile gradually changing color from emerald green to deep purple. Violet carpets made from aster dumosus - now blossoming in the barene (salt marshes of the Venetian Lagoon) but also in a sunny corner of Nonna’s herb garden…

6 months ago · 1 like · Iris Loredana

Tomatoes growing in the San Zaccaria gardens

Orto e Frutteto: Nonna’s Secrets to Making Tomato Sauce

September in the vegetable garden, and a favorite recipe for early autumn. Making tomato sugo probably sounds commonplace, but to achieve that flavor you tasted in your favorite Venetian restaurant, you need to take into account a few tips. Here are ours, from Nonna’s culinary journal.

Terrazza San Zaccaria

Orto e Frutteto: September Flavors

In September 2022, we’re starting a couple of new rubbriche (series) here on Terrazza San Zaccaria. The first one called “Orto e Frutteto” is dedicated to news from the San Zaccaria fruit and vegetable garden. Because as you can read in this feature, Nonna’s sprawling garden consists of several areas: Green courtyard, terraces, altane (roof-top terraces), and loggia…

6 months ago · 2 likes · 2 comments · Iris Loredana

Decoding the Age of Venetian Gardens

Is it possible to determine the age of a Venetian garden just by looking at it? Short answer: Yes.

This is the first post in our series featuring Venetian Garden Culture. By taking into account size, location, colors, layout and structure of a Venetian garden, you can tell almost all about its history and age. Article dedicated to my father, a garden architect.

Terrazza San Zaccaria

Decoding the Age of Venetian Gardens

In this article, you’ll disover the characteristics of the three historical types of Venetian gardens, and how this helps you determine the age of a garden: Late Roman - Early Byzantine Gardens Gardens created during the Republic of Venice Venetian Gardens of the 19th century…

6 months ago · 3 likes · Iris Loredana

Welcome to La Terrazza

The San Zaccaria garden was featured in books and interviews: Below, you can read Paradise Garden, the article I contributed to a book about Venice.

Terrazza San Zaccaria

Paradise Garden

The story of our garden was first told in July 2018 as a chapter in the book “First Spritz is free” by Kathleen González. The garden was also mentioned in this article on L’Italo-Americano by Liz Salthouse. In Venice, each garden and plant could tell a story, and the garden I grew up in is no exception…

a year ago · 6 likes · 3 comments · Iris Loredana

La Terrazza on Social Media

La Terrazza - A Garden in Venice is on social media: We’re sharing background stories on how Nonna restored the garden, on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. We’d love to connect!

La Terrazza on Twitter

La Terrazza on Instagram

La Terrazza on Facebook

Grandmother working on the laurel terrace

Preview - What to Read in October

What is soulfood, Venetian style? Just came across an inspiring article in the weekend edition of an Austrian daily: In my opinion, it’s the perfect definition of soulfood, which I’ll share alongside Nonna’s favorite autumn recipe.

In addition, there will be the first part of our Monthly Green Venice Q+A about gardens and gardening in Venice, how and when to visit Venetian gardens, etc.

And there will be a special treat for everyone interested what the San Zaccaria gardens looked like in the 4th century AD, plus a post about how, why, and when gardens in Venice were created. We also write about a question we’ve been asked so often by Nonna’s guests: Was Venice really built on palafitte (wooden poles)?

Thank you for reading Terrazza San Zaccaria. This post is public so feel free to share it!

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A Garden in Venice

September Postcard: Early Autumn Flavors