This is it. This is the two weeks of year when the weather is absolutely perfect and the air is full of possibility.
Spring in Rome.
Everything in Rome has turned green again, and while the pollen is wrecking havoc on allergies, the blooms are glorious.
And one of the most glorious places to be is Rome’s rose garden – the Roseto Comunale.
The Roseto was once Rome’s Jewish cemetery, but when the cemetery was moved in the 20th century, the space overlooking Circo Massimo was transformed into a municipal garden that is open to the public from April 21st (Rome’s birthday) through mid-June.
The garden contains over 1,100 varieties of roses, and is a great vantage point to take in the Palatine hill.
Remembering the site’s heritage, all of the pathways are organized into the shape of a menorah.
With free entry, it is the perfect place to wander or rest up for a few minutes on a bench. To escape the city, in the middle of the chaos, and to savor spring in Rome.
Especially at sunset.
Adding to the sweetness, the garden is just a few minutes walk away from the key hole, and is an easy jumping off point for exploring the rest of Aventino hill.
For 2015, the garden is open until 14 June, every day from 8.30 am-7.30 pm. (Closed May 16th for Premio Roma – the annual rose competition).
Most beautiful photos! I’m sitting here this morning with my cup of coffee in rainy Denver, Colorado. It is like a mini vacation looking through your pictures and beautiful descriptions. I just love your blog and have been following it for a few years now. You have been an inspiration. I have always dreamed of moving abroad and experiencing another country, language and culture. I am now selling my home and moving to Cuenca, Ecuador. Let me tell you that you have helped me make the leap!!!
Hi Vicki! Thanks so much for such a kind and thoughtful comment! Congratulations on your own huge journey! That sounds incredibly exciting and I hope you have a fantastic adventure. I am flattered if anything might here might have encouraged that — but I believe that you are doing this because it is absolutely right for you. Have fun! Take notes! Because soon enough… Ecuador will seem like the place you were meant to move.
Wonderful roses!
We have a cold springtime in Sweden where I live and there are still no roses in bloom. But we spend two weekes in Firenze and we saw many beautiful rose-gardens there.
Hi Gunnar– but then the great news is that you still have roses to look forward to later when it becomes warmer! Enjoy!
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