Giardini Vaticani (Vatican Gardens)

Giardini Vaticani (Vatican Gardens) Review

Neatly trimmed lawns and flower beds extend over the hills behind St. Peter's Basilica, an area dotted with some interesting constructions and other, duller ones that serve as office buildings. The Vatican Gardens occupy almost 40 acres of land on the Vatican hill. The gardens include a formal Italian garden, a flowering French garden, a romantic English landscape, and a small forest; there's also the little-used Vatican railroad station, which now houses a museum of coins and stamps made in the Vatican, and the Torre di San Giovanni (Tower of St. John), restored by Pope John XXIII as a retreat for work, and now used as a residence for distinguished guests.

You have two options for visiting the Vatican Gardens. You can take a two-hour walking tour with an official Vatican guide (make sure to wear good walking shoes). Or you can take a one-hour minibus tour of the gardens, done with an audio guide; this new offering is run by the company RomaCristiana. For either tour, a reservation is necessary.