The botanical garden is known as the ‘Garden of Simples’ (i.e., simple plants) consists of a collection of medicinal plants that is an additional provision of the ‘G. d'Annunzio’ University of Chieti for the teaching and dissemination of scientific knowledge. The early medieval botanical garden was a collection of ‘medicamenta simplicium’, of ‘simple’ medicinal plants. Indeed, plants have always represented a rich and valuable reservoir of pharmacologically active substances. Over time, the word medication was omitted, and the single word of ‘simples’ remained to indicate the plants that were used for health purposes. Hence, the term Hortus simplicium, the ‘Garden of Simples’, to indicate the place where these plants are grown. For the medieval monasteries from where this garden actually originated, the ‘Garden of Simples’ was a kind of living pharmacy, from which remedies were draw that were offered by Nature. Then with the birth of the Universities, it became a useful ‘laboratory’ for observation and experimentation, in which the plants were shown live (Ostentio simplicium) to students of Medicine and Pharmacy, who had to learn how to make good use of them.
The ‘Garden of Simples’ of the University of Chieti–Pescara is designed to recreate a place that is similar to that which its name recalls. It is therefore a collection of medicinal plants, provided to be able to delve into the centuries-old traditions, for immersion in the sacral simplicity of Nature, as a place of culture. The ‘Garden of Simples’ occupies an area of almost one hectare within the University campus of Chieti Scalo. It provides a space with strong aesthetic, ecological and environmental impact, which enhances not only to the University site, but also the town itself where the campus is located.
The flower beds of the ‘Garden of Simples’ host a collection of over 400 medicinal plant species. These are both herbaceous and woody, and they are related to traditional medicines, many of which are still used in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and industrial applications.
The criteria by which the plants are grouped into different flower beds relate to their properties, and therefore to the use that arises from these properties. These are both native and exotic plants, although special attention is given to the endemic flora of Abruzzo, and to the species that are at risk of extinction. These plants are collected and conserved here, according to the principles of the protection of plant biodiversity.
The ‘Garden of Simples’ consists of areas devoted to:
A - Plants that act on the digestive system;
B - A flower bed for the immune system;
C - Plants for the heart and circulation;
D - Plants for the genito-urinary tract;
E - Plants for the skin;
F - Flower beds for the nervous system;
G - Potted aromatic plants;
H – A corner for the respiratory system;
I – A flower bed of plants used to dye and of ‘signature’ plants (where the plant features were correlated to human organs and diseases);
L – A collection of endemic and rare species.
The ‘Garden of Simples’ has been officially recognized as being of regional interest. Indeed, it stands as a safeguard for the plant species that it hosts, for which it fosters awareness, understanding and appreciation. The ‘Garden of Simples’ is designed to support educational and scientific institutional activities, and also to be a tool for the promotion of environmental culture to a wider audience, through the spreading the knowledge of the plant world and its therapeutic, nutritional and environmental resources. The ‘Garden of Simples’ is set out so as to be fully used by the students, and also by amateurs, and it can be visited throughout the year, although it is more enjoyably in the summer.
The first core exhibition of the University Museum of Chieti was officially opened at the ‘G. d'Annunzio’ University in 1994 in the Palazzo De Pasquale. On 21 January, 1998, corresponding with the start of the 1997-98 academic year, the museum was opened to the public at the Madonna delle Piane campus. Since 21 March, 2005, the Museum has been based at the Arnaldo Mussolini Palace (the former Enal Palace) in the historic centre of the city of Chieti, and in 2010, it was transformed from the Museum of the History of Biomedical Sciences into the University Museum, with its own autonomy and with new statutes. Through its specialities, the University Museum contributes to the character of the ‘G. d'Annunzio’ University, providing a ‘place for memories’ and an exhibition space dedicated to the knowledge and dissemination of the Natural Sciences and the History of Science. Its particular focus has been towards biological and medical aspects that arise from archaeological, medical, anthropological and palaeontological research, and also with specific sections that are dedicated to Natural History and the History of Science, with an exhibition area of over 1,500 m2.
The University Museum also has a specialised library that is open to the public, an auditorium with 120 seats, and a series of scientific laboratories where research is carried out into anthropology, and preparation and conservation activities. Moreover, the Museum carries out advanced training and runs training courses and a Masters course for museum technicians, through the ‘Leonardo da Vinci’ distance learning University. The exhibitions have an educational function, with guided tours and workshops run for all levels of schooling. At the moment the collections in the University Museum include more than 19,000 palaeontological, prehistoric, anthropological, botanical and zoological records, and more recently these have been enriched by scientific instruments and modern art.
The palaeontological collection
The palaeontological collection is only partially on display, and it includes samples from all over the world that are important for documenting the main stages of the evolution of life on Earth: the stromatolite fossils, examples of the fish of the Paleozoic, the first terrestrial life forms, and the remains of dinosaurs. A spectacular collection of ammonites testifies to the marine life of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. The many fossils from Abruzzo form a very important part of the Museum collection, most of which were donated by Prof Adriano Antonucci. These include fossils of Cretaceous Majella rudists, and a rich collection of fossils of fish and plants from the Miocene site of Palena.
The prehistoric collection
A large collection of flint tools testifies to the oldest occupation of the territory of Abruzzo by prehistoric man. The remains from the Valle Giumentina (Majella) and those of the Zazzini Terraces (Chieti) are of great interest.
The anthropological collection
The anthropological collection is the most important part of the collections that are housed in the University Museum, and this includes about 6,000 human skeletons and 20 mummies. Some of these skeletal remains are very ancient, as they are from Cro-Magnon man, who was the first inhabitant of the region. These come from the caves of a previous coastal lake, Lake Fucino. The skeletal remains of the Samnite necropolis of Opi Val Fondillo, Sulmona and Teramo are the most important part of the collection. A selection of these skeletal remains is displayed in the section of "History of the human population in Abruzzo", where there are not only some significant original findings, but there are also some scenes that reconstruct the stages of the evolution of human occupation in this territory: the Mesolithic, the Samnites Age, the time of the Roman conquest, and the Middle Ages.
A selection of mummified human bodies is displayed in the exhibition. Some of these represent the remains of victims of a massacre that occurred around 1500 AD in the Bourbon Fortification, while another group of mummies of babies and infants that date back to the Renaissance Age, and was discovered because of a collapse that was caused by the earthquake in 2009 in Casentino (L'Aquila).
The botanical collection
The botanical collection includes the herbarium that dates back to the XIX century that illustrates the local flora that is typical of Chieti hill, and in general, of the Abruzzo region. Most of these plants are now rare or extinct in the region. A series of wood samples, anatomical models, and fruit and mushroom samples complete this extraordinary and unique collection, most of which was collected in the mid-XIX century, to be used as educational materials in the scientific laboratories of the ‘Isabella Gonzaga’ Institute.
The zoological collection
The zoological section consists of a large collection of animals that are mainly stuffed or preserved in formalin. These represent all of the major classes of life: fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals. They come from the work of the ‘G.B. Vico’ Upper Secondary School in Chieti, from the laboratory that was directed by Prof Florindo Rocchetti in the second half of the XIX century. In particular, the collection includes animals that are now extinct in Abruzzo, or are on the verge of disappearing: the large carnivores (such as marsican bears and otters), and the large birds of prey (such as eagles and owls). A rich series of skeletons completes the zoological collection, and in particular, there is the ‘series of skeletons of primates’, which is one of the richest collections of Italian ape skeletons, most of which are on public display.
The scientific instruments
The collection of scientific laboratory instrumentation consists of a large number of antique instruments that were used for the demonstration of scientific experiments in the laboratory. The collection contains mainly equipment for Physics and Chemistry, and particularly for experiments in the laboratory, on electrolysis, and also optics, acoustics, mechanics and thermodynamics. Most of the scientific instruments date back to the XIX century, although some of them have been dated to the second half of the XVIII century.
Modern art
Recently, stimulated by the donations from the Milanese art collector Alfredo Paglione, the University Museum acquired the so-called "collection of tortoises", which was assembled by Teresita Olivares Paglione, to whose memory the exhibition is dedicated. This includes works of art, paintings and sculptures by great contemporary masters, such as Lucio Fontana, Aligi Sassu, Pietro Cascella, and many others.
The Percorso vita was the idea of the Rector (Vice Chancellor) Franco Cuccurullo, and it was opened on 16 June, 1999. It follows a route that is 1,400 m long and about 3 m wide, and provides a scenic path between groves of oak trees, all within the University campus of Madonna delle Piane. It was constructed to increase the areas that are dedicated to better living, to meet the needs of those who wish to undertake physical exercises at various levels, both recreational and competitive, or who want to go for a walk outdoors, sheltered against the traffic and acoustic pollution.
The Percorso vita starts from the area behind the Main Hall (Aula Magna) of the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy, passes by the Teaching Centre and climbs the hill bordering the building of the Institute of Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), and then descends back to the starting point. The track is not particularly difficult and it is equipped with ‘stations’, as special areas with specific wooden training equipment and special signs that explain how the exercises should be carried out. The Percorso vita and the surrounding Nature provide a symbolic representation of the ‘path of life’: “Those that face it do so by choice, and know in advance what the obstacles are that await them".
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