Levico Terme: Three Days Dedicated to the Dahlia Bloom

Levico Terme – From August 28 to 30, 2026, the Levico Terme park will open its garden center daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the exhibition „Dalie, trame di petali“ (Dahlias, Weaves of Petals). The exhibition features over 100 varieties of dahlias in full bloom, which visitors can view free of charge. Held at the end of summer, the exhibition is one of the highlights of the historic park’s calendar of events and attracts gardening and nature enthusiasts from across the region.

What makes the dahlia such a crowd favorite?

The dahlia was named in honor of the Swedish botanist Anders Dahl and is native to the highlands of Mexico and Central America, where the Aztecs already used the tubers for medicinal and nutritional purposes. From about 42 wild species, more than 20,000 ornamental varieties have been bred today—ranging from compact ball-shaped varieties to feathery cactus dahlias and ruffled dahlias, with heights ranging from 30 to 200 centimeters. At the Levico nursery, visitors can study this diversity of forms up close, accompanied by information on the cultivation and care of this tuberous plant. The dahlia has been a popular cut and bedding plant since the 19th century and typically blooms in Central Europe from July until the first frost—reaching its peak in late August.

Habsburg Park: A Stage Steeped in History

The setting of the exhibition is a sight to behold in its own right: The park, which today covers 131,669 square meters, was laid out in 1898 on the initiative of Julius Adrian Pollacsek, director of the Levico-Vetriolo Mineral Springs Society, and opened in 1905 based on plans by the German landscape architect Georg Ziehl. Its layout follows the English garden style, featuring expansive lawns, winding paths, and mature trees—today, the park is home to 581 tree species, 4,300 shrubs, and 75,000 flower bulbs. Since 2016, it has been part of the „Grandi Giardini Italiani,“ the association of Italy’s most significant historic gardens. Following the severe damage caused by Storm Vaia in the fall of 2018, which destroyed 216 trees, local residents planted approximately 280 new trees in 2020.

Even outside of the dahlia show, the park serves as a stage for cultural events year-round—most recently, for example, for the series „Vivere il Parco 2026”, which, with concerts such as the Baroque Concert „Le Dame di Margherita“ leads through the summer.

Orchids and Garden History: Two More Exhibitions in the Park

Admission to the park includes two additional exhibitions. In the Orangery, the permanent exhibition „The World of Orchids“ showcases the diversity of this plant family, which comprises approximately 28,000 botanical species worldwide. At the same time, the exhibition „Spazi cólti – Gardens in the History of the West“ at Villa Paradiso, the park’s historic gardener’s house, explores the development of European garden styles from antiquity through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to the present day. Both exhibitions are open daily from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.; admission is also free. Visitors who combine the three exhibitions in a single day can take a stroll in just a few hours, experiencing everything from the splendor of dahlias to the diverse forms of orchids and the history of European garden art.

Directions and Practical Information for Visiting the Park

The Therme Park is located in Levico Terme in the Valsugana Valley, right next to the thermal baths of the same name at Viale Vittorio Emanuele 10. By car, take the A22 highway to Trento and continue on the SS47 toward Valsugana; the route is well-signposted. If you’re traveling by train, get off at the Levico Terme station on the Trento–Venice line—the monumental park entrance is only about a ten-minute walk away, right next to the station building. The park is also accessible by bike: the Valsugana Bike Path connects the valley with Trento and Bassano del Grappa. Public parking is available in the surrounding area as well as along the access roads.

Anyone interested in learning more about the program and background of the dahlia show can contact the park management or the Office for Employment Support and Environmental Enhancement of the Autonomous Province of Trento, which are jointly organizing the exhibition. Additional places to visit in the Valsugana Valley and the region are listed in the Trentino Travel Guide Compiled by italien.news.