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Tropical butterfly gardens in Vicenza
Inside one of Italy’s largest live tropical butterfly houses
Butterflies flying among visitors, tropical orchids and picnic gardens beneath the mountains of Vicenza.
Orchids, banana leaves and tropical butterflies fill a glasshouse at the foot of the Vicenza mountains. At Oasi Rossi in Santorso, visitors follow paths through more than 1,200 square metres of tropical planting, with butterflies flying around them. Outside, lawns and mature trees occupy more than ten hectares beneath Monte Summano, with picnic tables, garden walks and room for an afternoon shared by several generations.
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Oasi delle Farfalle, Santorso · supplied image
Know before you go
One admission ticket covers the butterfly house, insect exhibition and outdoor park. Guided visits and reserved group facilities are booked separately. Park telephone +39 0445 540104 Park email volare@oasirossi.it Garden shop telephone +39 0445 549126 Garden shop email garden@oasirossi.it
→ Butterflies from three continents, flying around you
The collection includes butterflies native to Malaysia, Uganda, the Philippines, Ecuador and Costa Rica. They arrive as chrysalises, the stage between caterpillar and adult, and complete their development here in Vicenza. The displays follow the life cycle from eggs to adult butterflies; depending on the day, visitors may also witness an emergence. Banana plants, papaya, passionflowers and philodendrons grow along the glasshouse paths. Orchids were among the additions announced for the renewed 2026 butterfly house, giving visitors interested in tropical planting plenty to examine alongside the insects.
→ An insect collection displayed in jewellery boxes
Beside the butterfly house, Gioielli a 6 zampe, “Jewels with Six Legs”, presents preserved specimens from almost thirty insect species in cofanetti and jewellery boxes. Tablets and QR codes accompany the displays with commentary by entomologist Francesco Barbieri, the exhibition’s creator. It is a chance to examine colour, pattern and anatomy at close quarters, particularly rewarding for visitors interested in natural history, illustration or macro photography.
→ A picnic below Monte Summano
The outdoor park has lawns, ponds and around a thousand trees and shrubs, including ginkgo, magnolia, cedar and flowering cherries. Bring lunch and allow time for the grounds: picnic tables and barbecue areas are available, while the garden shop sells plants and selected produce from local farms. Children have play areas, farm animals and a small train circulating around the park. Adults can spend longer with the planting and insect collections, then meet the rest of the group for lunch. At weekends, the restaurant serves simple regional dishes between 12:00 and 14:00, with indoor seating and the option of eating outside.
→ Book a closer look with a guide
Groups can arrange a guided visit to the butterfly house lasting approximately 45 minutes. Contact the park in advance with your interests, group size and preferred language. Schools have a separate programme of botany and natural science activities, with workshops reserved through the education team. These are additional bookings, separate from ordinary admission.
→ A connection with Costa Rica’s rainforest
Oasi Rossi supports butterfly farming through its chrysalis purchases and identifies Bosque Nuevo among its conservation connections. The Costa Rican project uses the profits from butterfly breeding to acquire land for forest protection and restoration, alongside research. The relationship gives the tropical collection a specific conservation context, extending from this garden in Vicenza to the farms supplying butterfly houses abroad.
→ The former estate behind the garden
Oasi Rossi occupies part of the Podere Modello, the experimental agricultural estate of Alessandro Rossi, the nineteenth century textile industrialist from nearby Schio. Its present operator, Cooperativa Sociale Nuovi Orizzonti, is a social enterprise providing employment opportunities and support for people with disabilities or other difficulties. Horticulture, the nursery and visitor services are part of that work.
What can adults do at Oasi Rossi?
The tropical planting, insect collection and bookable guided visits provide a substantial natural history visit. The grounds also suit a garden afternoon or a picnic with friends, with covered spaces available for organised groups.
Why include Vicenza in a European garden itinerary?
Oasi Rossi adds a tropical glasshouse and a substantial outdoor park to a stay in Vicenza. Garden visitors can combine the butterfly collection with the history of Alessandro Rossi’s estate. The neighbouring Parco Rossi, the historic landscape garden associated with his villa, is a separate attraction with its own visiting arrangements.