Orto Botanico Gardens

The wonderful botanical gardens of Orto, where you will find, as rumour has it, over 3500 species of plants, springs to life in the summertime months when the place is buzzing with families and couples, and is the ideal place to enjoy a sunny day out exploring all of the sights sounds and smells the garden has to give.

The garden is located close to many appartement Rome centre, perfectly situated on the Gianicolo Hill, facing Palazzo Riario Corsini, home to the Accademia dei Lincei. Orto Botanico is also found on the banks of the Fiume Tavere river, in the Trastevere part of Rome, and is easily reached by buses ; By Bus : 115, 870, 280, twenty-three, 271 and 116.

The garden has been in bloom since the 13th century when the garden was employed to cultivate medicinal plants, but in 1883 it was modified into a botanical garden containing more than 3500 cultivated species. When visiting the garden, ensure you find the four hundred year-old plane tree, one of the oldest in Rome, and the impressive bamboo collection.

The sundry collection of plants and flowers you'll find here is striking, and something that attracts thousands of visitors to the gardens every year. Not only are the flowers and trees impressive and awfully tropical, the garden seems to have a past grandeur about it, with its ruined staircases, fountains and ponds, theres an especially natural and unique feel to the place, ( it really is an Italian version of the secret garden for those of you who have witnessed the film ).

like the secret garden, Orto Botanico is still largely unknown to visitors and this could be something to do with its position tucked away behind the Palazzo Corsini. The ideal place to escape the hustle of chaotic life in central Rome, this botanical garden will help you relax and unwind and take your thoughts off the automobile horns in the distance, returning to your hebergement Rome after a day of a total return to nature. During your time in the garden, meander aimlessly thru the 12 hectares of land and if you get there in the morning, be absolutely certain to explore the greenhouses, where certain exotic flowers and plants are grown. Visit the japanese Garden and fragrance Garden, the latter designed for those that are visually diminished.

The garden is open Tue-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm usually, and in the summer months you can enjoy an extra hour in the garden till 6.30pm.