Rose Garden

Another place in Rome in which i like to spend at least a relaxing half day couple of times a year is the municipal rose garden, on the Aventine Hill, directly opposite to the Circus Maximus and the Neronian Domus Aurea.

The rose garden, divided from the Via di Valle Murcia into two distinct sections - one more upstream and more extended, and the other at valley - home of more than a thousand species of roses from around the world, it is considered a good ground among the most beautiful in the world, both for the quality of the flowers and for the panoramic glance that offers.

Its curious that it is located in an area occupied from 1645 until 1895 from the Jewish cemetery;until the first half of the seventeenth century, the Roman Jewish community, could not bury their dead in Christian territory so they used land situated within the old Porta Porteseout of the vativcan land and curiously here since the third century a.C. stood the temple dedicated to the Goddess Flora, protector of flowers: in the same spot where now stands the rose garden.

The creation of the municipal rose garden is thanks to a lady of Pennsylvania, Countess Mary Gayley Senni lover of roses she used to grew dozens of this flowers in her properties in Grottaferrata near Rome.

In 1924 she donated the plants to the City, but then, not satisfied with the arrangements in a simple flowerbed on the Pincio, eight years later, saw her dream came true,the construction of a real rose garden.

The next year was held the first edition of the Rome Rose Prize,and the countess honorary member of the jury.

In the highest section of the extensive rose garden there is the real collection of roses.

There are traditional varieties, and modern hybrids and plants are distributed in different areas, depending on the different species.

The downstream section is where is placed the annual contest. while in the oval, are located only roses that have been winners in previous editions.

Roses most curious to be admired are the "Monstrosa " with green petals , " Omeiensis Pteracantha "with red and transparent thorn, viewedin backlight, lights up like a lamp, the rose that changes color several times in few days; the rose that emanates a strong smell of incense, and the North American variety "Knock Out", able to resist even at 30 degrees below zero.

In addition to a paradise of colors, scents and tranquility, the rose garden is obviously a haven for photographers as they can "immortalize" roses among the most beautiful in the world. not of less value, as I said, is the stunnig panorama "outside" the rose garden it offers a view that range from the Circus Maximus to the Domus Aurea, San Pietro and to the thousand domes of Rome.