UNAIR NEWS – Cinta Atsa Mahesa Rani is one of two students from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (FKH) Off- Main Campus Program (PSDKU) UNAIR Banyuwangi who had the opportunity to take part in the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) Program. The program is one of the flagship programs of the Independent Campus program of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia. Cinta had managed to pass at the University of Padua, Italy.
For a few months in Italy, Cinta shared her activities outside the formal education. Holidays or weekends are an opportunity to explore more about Italy. The place that she thinks quite impressive was the “Orto Botanico Garden”.
To UNAIR NEWS on Jan 9, 2022, Cinta shared that Orto Botanico in Padova is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites that must be visited in Padua, Italy. Built in 1545, this botanical garden was once focused on cultivating medicinal plants. The collection also includes insectivorous plants, poisonous plants, endangered plants, orchids, aquatic plants, and Mediterranean plants.
“Because we are University of Padua students, we can visit Orto Botanico for free! For general public, the price of admission is between 5-10 euros. It is worth it considering that in Orto Botanico, tourists can also visit the museum and the greenhouse inside,” said the student who is also an Assistant Lecturer of Anatomy.
Furthermore, Cinta said that while at Orto Botanico, we entered “How Nature Works” museum and were surprised by the human-like branches that suddenly moved when approached. Not because of magic, she said, but the branches were designed with sensors to detect movement around them.
“An interesting combination of technology and nature, isn’t it?” said Cinta.
Satisfied looking at the works in the museum, Cinta decided to visit the greenhouse. In the greenhouse, she continued, the temperature was much warmer, considering that it was already autumn because many tropical plants were cultivated in it. Tropical plants and plants that thrive in arid areas such as cacti can also be found here. All plant groups are neatly arranged in spaces according to their habitat needs.
“We spent approximately two hours touring all corners of Orto Botanico in Padova before finally deciding to go home because the botanical garden closed around 18.00,” she concluded. (*)
Author: Muhammad Suryadiningrat
Editor: Nuri Hermawan
