A pedestrian path Immersed in the greenery that connects the Station of San Pietro to Piazza del Sant’Offizio, skirting the historic Vatican walls: it is the walk of the Gelsomino, which recently experienced an important redevelopment intervention in view of the Jubilee, together with the nearby street of the Vatican Station and the pedestrian underpass of Gregorio VII.
The project, created by Jubilee Company in Town Hall XIII, has transformed these spaces into new oasis of sociality and nature, designed both for the pilgrims of the jubilee year and for the residents and regular visitors of the area.
The Gelsomino walk
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The route extends for about 800 meters along what was once a track of the historic Vatican railway, built in 1929 to connect the Papal States to the Kingdom of Italy. Over time, the railway was abandoned, and on the occasion of the Jubilee of 2000, one of the two tracks was removed and transformed into a pedestrian walk: the Jasmine walk.
This “fragrant walk” is highly appreciated by couples of love and romantic of all kinds, but also by tourists who want to discover hidden corners of the city. When approaching the Aurelia ramp, in fact, you can enjoy a spectacular view of the San Pietro dome.
Origin of the name
Along the way there are jasmine plants which, during full summer flowering, spread an intoxicating perfume in the air and embellish the landscape with their white flowers. In addition, the walk overlooks what was once known as the Gelsomino Valley, an area that extended between the hill of the Vatican and that of the Janiculum, so called in reference to a road, via dei Gelsomini, already existing before the annexation of Rome to the Kingdom of Italy. The street took its name from a tavern managed by a Tuscan, who decided to remember the plant which, one thought, was introduced in Italy by the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
Legend or reality?
According to a legend, the Grand Duke of Tuscany was extremely jealous of his jasmine plants, so much so that he prohibits his gardener to give the flowers to others. However, the gardener disobeying, falling in love with a young woman and deciding to give her a jasmine to conquer her. Thanks to that gesture, the two married, and from that moment the jasmine became a symbol of love and happiness in Italy.
Redevelopment
The walk was enhanced with targeted interventions that enhanced the qualities already present on the course. The workers reinstated the system of encouraging me that over time had lost some specimens, cleaned up the flower beds and restored the irrigation system, giving life to a green space of great value.
Not only green: also the iron works – such as the railing of separation from the railway and the parapet – have been painted, as well as the wall vestments. The damaged marked lights have been replaced and remitted, ensuring safety and atmosphere in the evening.
First not accessible, it has been completely cleaned up and enriched with new furnishings for parking and photovoltaic lighting. The soil was covered with gravel to limit the growth of spontaneous vegetation and reduce maintenance interventions.
Via della Vaticana station: from parking to urban garden
The redevelopment also touched via della Vaticana station, where an area previously used as a spitted parking was transformed into a welcoming garden, ideal for a break in the shade of the new trees. The asphalt flooring has been replaced with natural and draining materials, capable of better managing rainwater and reducing the heat island effect.
The main routes – one along the walls and one side side – are now characterized by Basaltina di Bagnoregio with appeals in Beola, noble materials that are harmoniously inserted in the historical context. The parking area was instead enriched by natural spaces with different shrub and arboreal species, 7 elegant travertine sessions and a practical bicycle holder, thus encouraging sustainable mobility.
An explosion of biodiversity
The real protagonist of the project is the vegetation, carefully chosen to create a varied and resistant ecosystem. Along the way rows of Cercis Siliquastrum (Judas tree) have been planted, while in the parking area there are the Gleditsia Triacanthos ‘Inventi’ and ‘Sunburst’, with their large fluffy hair that guarantee shadow and fresh.
There is no shortage of the typical species of the Mediterranean scrub such as lavender, sage, thyme and rosemary, together with other shrub plants that enrich the biodiversity of the area. Under the existing trees and those arranged in rows, an ivy dwarf carpet now grows, while the permeable area has been expanded at the base of the existing trees, allowing better oxygenation of the roots.
A renewed underpass for the reception of visitors
The project is completed by the redevelopment of the underpass of via Gregorio VII, one of the main access points for tourists and pilgrims directed to the Basilica of San Pietro. The infrastructure, which allows the pedestrian crossing of via di Porta Cavalleggeri in total safety, has been made safer and more visible from the outside, with a new homogeneous lighting system and continues from the linear profile.
