On the Aventine the rose season has a second half. From Sunday 25 October the Rose Garden of Rome Capital has reopened its gates for autumn flowering, as ordered by the Environmental Protection Department, and will remain open to the public until Sunday 8 November.
Hours and entrance
Entrance is free. The municipal botanical garden can be visited every day from 8.30 to 17.30, with access from Via di Valle Murcia and from Clivo dei Publicii, on the slopes of the Aventine. The view ranges from the Circus Maximus to the Palatine, up to the bell tower of Santa Maria in Cosmedin and the Vittoriano.
Roses that bloom again in autumn
@Municipality of Rome
October, for these flowerbeds, is by no means an end month. In this period, ancient roses, tea roses and Chinese roses come back into bloom, together with modern ones. They are repeat-flowering varieties, which after the spring season offer a second cycle of blooms. Then there is a spectacle that May does not offer, that of the berries of wild roses, different in shape and colour. The collection has over a thousand varieties from all over the world. In the lower sector, the roses competing in the Premio Roma, the international competition for new varieties, grow alongside the winners of past editions. The first dates back to 1933, when the municipal rose garden was still located on Colle Oppio.
A garden on the ancient Jewish Garden
The history of the place is also worth a stop. In 1645 the area, until then covered with vegetable gardens and vineyards, became the Jewish Garden, with a small community cemetery. In 1934 the burials were transferred to Verano and the land, designated as a park by the town plan, remained uncultivated until 1950, the year in which the new rose garden was created. As a sign of gratitude towards the Jewish community, a stele was placed at the entrance and the paths of the collections area took the shape of the menorah, the seven-branched candelabra.
Free guided tours
The Garden Service of Rome Capital also organizes free guided tours. You can book by email at rosetoromacapitale@comune.roma.it or by phone, on 06 5746810. The opening dates are never fixed, because they follow the rhythm of the plants, and the Municipality announces them from time to time in April and October. Just two weeks, then the gates close again. To see the roses again we will have to wait for spring, which will usually bring visitors back to stroll through the flowerbeds towards the end of April.
