Orto Botanico - Botanic Gardens of Rome
Near Villa Farnesina in Janiculum (Monte Gianicolo), a street with beautiful buildings leads to the Botanic Gardens. A leaflet (in English) provided a guide to the features of the garden. I thought I would enjoy it because just after entering I saw this lovely Japanese maple (round shaped, not the usual ‘horizontal’ branching). The gardens are apparently part of an ancient site and trees at the top of the garden go right up the hill to the Garibaldi Monument. I'm not sure why I was so surprised to see a grove of bamboo trees, and they claim to have the richest collection in Europe. The Japanese Garden has potential but is in in need of maintenance (especially the graffiti covered pavilion). As you climb up the hill, you get extensive views of the city. It was a very hot day, so climbing was a bit exhausting, but most of the time we were in the shade. The gardens has architectural features from the 18th Cent (architect : Ferdinando Fuga), some of which are overgrown but the main staircase is being restored.
Orto Botanico dates from 1883, but the history of the site as botanic gardens goes back into the 13th Century when Pope Nicholas III ordered the enlargement of the area for plants and trees. For several centuries the gardens were controlled by the Vatican and used for growing medicinal plants.
History of the Botanic Gardens
In the 1650s, this garden was once part of the Palazzo Riario/Corsini, home of Queen Christina of Sweden.
Queen Christina (what a lady!)
From June 17th to July 12th 2002, eighteen students from the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Fine Arts participated in the 2002 Summer Penn Conservation Studies in Rome. The goal of the course (entitled The Orto Botanico of Rome: A Methodological Approach to the Conservation of Historic Landscapes and Monuments) was to introduce graduate students and practitioners to European conservation methodologies through a case study of the Orto Botanico, located on the slope of the Janiculum Hill in Rome. Topics addressed during lectures and site visits included the topographic history of Rome, Italian gardens history, and European conservation theories. Two projects occurred simultaneously. One group focused on the architectural and condition survey of Ferdinando Fugas Scala d'Acqua, located within the Orto Botanico. A second team of students concentrated on the overall garden.
Source : http://www.design.upenn.edu/hspv/rome/index.htm
The fine print
Date of travel : June 2008