From early may to mid or late June, the holidaymakers of Rome have the opportunity to visit one of the most treasured nature gems of the capital: the Municipal Rose Garden. The garden is, in fact, opened to the public only in this period, given the ephemeral nature of the spectacle the rose bloom offers to the enchanted eye of the visitor.

Despite its small size (it stretches on a surface of some 10,000 square maters), the garden shelters a naturalistic patrimony which amounts to more than 1,000 varieties of roses brought here from virtually all over the world (in particular from European countries, but from America, Asia and Africa too). The garden stretches on the Aventine Hill, on the side facing the historical Circus Maximus, and its history goes back to the 1950s when, after the repeated attempts of a Hungarian countess (Mary Gayley Senni) to open a rose garden in Rome, the former Jewish cemetery lying on the east side of the Aventine hill was moved on the occasion of the opening of a new road: Via di Valle Murcia. The alleys of the park, here and there shaded by tall ancient cypresses, have been laid out such has to hint on the Jewish symbolism of the Menorah, in the memory of the former cemetery (in particular, on the hilly section of the garden).

Interesting information about the history of the Municipal Rose Garden and about the events held here, as well as about the bewildering plethora of species of roses one can admire in the park, can be learned from the guides, in case tourists opt for the available guided tours of the park (in this case, reservations are required). For updated information on the seasonal opening hours of the park and of the events occasionally held here, tourists can resort to the services provided by the tourist information offices of Rome.

Name:
Municipal Rose Garden (Roseto Comunale di Roma)
Address:
6, Via di Valle Murcia, Rome, Italy
Telephone:
0039 06 5746810
Fax:
0039 06 57135413
Opening hours:
May 9th to May 20th: 8am to 4:30pm; May 22nd to June 19th: 8am to 7:30pm