Ancient cadastral maps from the 18th century show that originally, next to the palace, there was only a small square garden, surrounded by a wall and subdivided along regular geometric partitions. At that time, the main entrance was located on the opposite side of the building to where it is currently situated, and the connection to the city was provided by a flight of steps leading to the village of Piazzutta below. Meanwhile, the ancient stone archway, which opens next to the Stables building on Via dei Coronini allowed access for carriages.
The creation of the park is associated with Count Alfredo Coronini Cronberg (1846-1920). Inspired by the large gardens he had admired during his travels in Italy and abroad, the Count decided to landscape and extend the green area surrounding the Palace from around 1880 onwards. Alfredo's initiative was part of a wide-ranging urban redevelopment programme that affected the entire city at the time. This was thanks to the publication in 1874 of Baron Carl von Czoernig's work, Gorizia stazione climatica (Gorizia climate resort), in which this town near the Isonzo river, dubbed the “Austrian Nice”, was presented as a holiday resort with a particularly healthy and temperate climate.
After the middle of the century, the area around the palace had been considerably reduced following the construction of a major new artery to the city, the Via del Ponte Nuovo, today's Viale XX Settembre, which had divided the Coronini properties. After the sale of the remaining land beyond the new road to the Counts Formentini, Alfredo skilfully used the remaining five hectares, ingeniously exploiting the altimetrical variations and irregularities of the terrain, to create a “landscaped” or “English-style” garden, i.e. a set of free, asymmetrical, apparently natural forms, in which the various botanical and architectural components combine to create a succession of striking views and picturesque panoramas. Sculptures, flights of steps, panoramic terraces, pergolas, fountains and pools of water, skilfully arranged, offer a series of varied and surprising paths, often conceived as genuine stage sets.
Particular care was then taken with the choice of botanical varieties, although Count Alfredo's aim was not so much to experiment and encourage the growth of rare or valuable species, but to obtain pleasant green spaces with a Mediterranean flavour. For this reason, he chose mainly evergreen plants typical of warmer Mediterranean areas, the acclimatisation of which in this area was considered a real challenge at the time, to which he combined species typical of Central Balkan Europe and the mountainous areas of Asia and America, embodying the spirit of a city that was a crossroads between North and South.
During the First World War, the palace and the park suffered extensive damage. The Coronini family moved to other residences, only to return permanently in 1951. During these years, the upkeep of the park was neither strict nor constant, the vegetation grew out of control, the undergrowth thickened, palms and laurels spread everywhere. By the time of Count Guglielmo's death in 1990, the structure of the park created by Alfredo was difficult to recognise. In the years that followed, attempts were made to halt the break-up of the complex, while at the same time aiming to restore the original design, through the use of documentary evidence and old photographic images.
From 2018 to 2021, major redevelopment work was carried out thanks to a contribution from the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia and an agreement with the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region's Mountain Land Reclamation and Irrigation Management Service, culminating in the significant redevelopment conducted thanks to the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) tender that the Foundation was awarded in 2022.
