Rome’s iconic history, culture, and ‘dolce vita’ come to life in its green spaces, and one of the city’s luxury hotels is letting guests immerse themselves in some of its legendary gardens and access private villas guided by local horticultural experts.

 

Imagine visiting the renowned Borghese, Vatican and Tivoli gardens as well as some of the Eternal City’s private homes with the most exceptional floral displays, and even meeting the owners!

 

The Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese has arranged for guests to have the opportunity to get private tours led by a boutique, bespoke Italian travel company’s expert guides to immerse themselves in the city’s most elegant life al fresco.

 

All while staying in the sophistication of the historic, five-star hotel in the heart of Rome.

 

Located on a quiet street in the epicenter of Rome, Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese is a former 19th century Roman palazzo that lies within walking distance of some of the city’s best-known cultural landmarks and parks, including the Trevi Fountain, Villa Medici and Spanish Steps. Evoking the feel of a Roman home, the hotel has a relaxed and laid-back atmosphere that gives a sense of being truly immersed in the essence of this picturesque Italian city.

 

The hotel’s own rooftop lounge and restaurant is a garden escape offering panoramic views overlooking the picturesque, neighboring Villa Borghese gardens and St. Peter’s Basilica. 

 

 

Over several days, you’ll visit:

 

The Villa Borghese Gardens are next door to the hotel. Originally a vineyard, the gardens were developed in the early 17th century by the powerful Borghese family who chose a design in the English landscape garden style, an innovative move for Italy at the time.

 

The layout of the gardens today still retains the same English style, offering a blend of nature and art with wide-open spaces, tree-lined paths, and beautifully landscaped areas.

 

A short stroll takes you back to the hotel for an evening dining experience at the hotel's rooftop restaurant that that mirrors the lush greenery and florals of the Villa Borghese gardens below. 

 

The Vatican Gardens reveal a more spiritual side of the Vatican rarely seen by visitors who are usually more focused on its powerful architecture. But this extensive ensemble of gardens and green space covers more than half of Vatican City, and has been a place of quiet and meditation for the popes since the 1200’s.

 

Palazzo Colonna is one of the oldest and largest private palaces in Rome. The palace and its gardens are a testament to the wealth, power, and influence of the Colonna family, one of the most prominent aristocratic families in Italian history.

 

The gardens are designed in the Baroque style, with manicured lawns, ornamental fountains, marble statues, and geometrically arranged flower beds with an emphasis on symmetry, order, and grandeur.

 

You’ll also head out of Rome, to the Landriana and Ninfa gardens in the natural beauty of Lazio. Your expert guides will reveal the history and botanical significance of Landriana Garden, a romantic site along the Latium coast owned by one of Rome’s most significant families.

 

Later, exploring the gardens and ruins of Ninfa, you’ll see exotic plants like avocado and banana trees that can grow in the unusual coastal climate. But it is the dreamy atmosphere of the ruins delicately draped in climbing roses and soft English landscape style which make this garden truly remarkable. 

 

Medieval Castello Ruspoli is renowned for its Renaissance gardens which are considered among the most beautiful and well-preserved examples of Italian garden design.

 

Cypress and olive trees create a serene landscape at Palazzo Parisi, a medieval fortified house that features magnificent gardens overseen by renowned landscape designer Arabella Lennox-Boyd, with views across the Sabine Hills.

 

Tivoli is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and Villa d'Este is a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture, but it is the garden that has captivated visitors for centuries. It has a spectacular display of water features, with fountains, nymphs, grottoes, plays of water, and music created by hydraulic organs within some fountains, making it a precursor of the kind of baroque elaboration of gardens that would become popular in the following centuries across Europe.

 

 

Images courtesy of Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese

 

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