The Serra dei Giardini offers a range of options, from a light lunch surrounded by greenery to a trendy aperitivo.

At the Caffè La Serra, you can sample snacks, aperitivi, teas, smoothies and other organic products. This picturesque location doubles as a meeting space and a venue hosting cultural events and deserves to be mentioned on account of its historical background. An interesting fact: the address of the ‘Serra’ is Viale Giuseppe Garibaldi, the only ‘road’ in Venice! Originally known as ‘Serra Margherita’, Castello’s Serra dei Giardini was built in 1894 with the aim of creating an ‘iron and glass tepidarium’ to house the palm trees and other decorative plants used for the International Art Exhibition.

Later on, for more than one hundred years, the ‘Serra’ represented a workplace for generations of gardeners whose secrets were handed down from father to son. In Winter, the premises of the Serra were used to house those plants that were particularly sensitive to the cold weather, but also for the cultivation of many others needed for the creation of the municipal flowerbeds of the Lido and Venice, and to decorate the rooms of aristocratic Venetian dwellings during meetings, receptions and events.

La Serra dei Giardini is now an interesting meeting place and a pleasant area where visitors can relax and read books and magazines about gardening and nature. The ‘Serra’ includes a permanent display of rare plant species, an educational space for schools, adults and families, and a cultural centre for gardening enthusiasts. The venue also sells plants and gardening equipment.