Vatican Garden Tour...in October?
May 15th, 2009 | 08:32 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,478
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Vatican Garden Tour...in October?
I'll be back in Rome for a week in mid-October...Yay! I have done the Vatican tour and the Scavi tour in past trips and thought the Vatican Garden tour would be interesting to do this time.
I checked the Vatican website and it appears the tickets for October are not available yet, the drop-down selection only went as far as July.
My question is...has anyone done the Vatican Garden tour in mid-October or is it not done at that time of year? If you have done it in October what were your thoughts/impressions...did you enjoy it or not?
Thanks!
I checked the Vatican website and it appears the tickets for October are not available yet, the drop-down selection only went as far as July.
My question is...has anyone done the Vatican Garden tour in mid-October or is it not done at that time of year? If you have done it in October what were your thoughts/impressions...did you enjoy it or not?
Thanks!
May 18th, 2009 | 05:23 PM
#5
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 9,754
Likes: 0
LCI,
I looked out on parts of the gardens from St. Peter's dome. It depends on what you are hoping to see. If you are hoping for flowers, skip it. The gardens looked very nice, but there wasn't a single flower in sight. Maybe there is more to enjoy from a historical perspective in the Vatican gardens? A guide would probably be great for that.
If you are interested in seeing a good example of an Italian Renaissance garden, go out to Tivoli and see Villa D'Este, with all the fountains. I just loved it!
I looked out on parts of the gardens from St. Peter's dome. It depends on what you are hoping to see. If you are hoping for flowers, skip it. The gardens looked very nice, but there wasn't a single flower in sight. Maybe there is more to enjoy from a historical perspective in the Vatican gardens? A guide would probably be great for that.
If you are interested in seeing a good example of an Italian Renaissance garden, go out to Tivoli and see Villa D'Este, with all the fountains. I just loved it!
May 18th, 2009 | 08:12 PM
#7
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,491
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I've visited the gardens twice, once in May and once in October. They were quite beautiful both times. Here are some photos, if you're interested: http://gardentouring.fotopic.net/c1699773.html
The gardens are lovely and very interesting, particularly if you're interested in historical gardens and gardening history. The basic form of the Vatican Gardens as they are seen today date from the late 15th and early 16th centuries, when the original medieval enclosed gardens, the <i>hortus conclusus</i>, were redesigned by Donato Bramante. Cutting terraces into the hilly terrain and linking them by staircases was a revolutionary approach to garden design at the time and set a pattern for future Renaissance gardens across all of Europe. Much of Bramante's original design has vanished as buildings were added over succeeding centuries, but the terracing remains visible in the shape of the land, a shadowy reminder of earlier times.
Another feature surviving from the 16th century is the Villa Pia, a charming casino built for Pope Pius IV. Built into a hillside, the ground floor opens to a fish pond at the front, while the opposite side gives access to the higher ground, where there is an oval courtyard with shaded loggia. It is said that the present Pope enjoys the garden very much and makes a point of walking in it for an hour each afternoon when he is in residence.
These are Italian gardens, so there isn't a lot of 'flower power' - Italian gardens take their beauty from structure, form, sculpture, water, classical ideals. Flower color is generally found in pots planted seasonally.
Tivoli is also a good suggestion. Villa D'Este is exquisite and Villa Adriana is interesting. Here are some photos, if you're interested: http://gardentouring.fotopic.net/c1527639.html Just scroll about half-way down the page for Villa D'Este and Villa Adriana.
The gardens are lovely and very interesting, particularly if you're interested in historical gardens and gardening history. The basic form of the Vatican Gardens as they are seen today date from the late 15th and early 16th centuries, when the original medieval enclosed gardens, the <i>hortus conclusus</i>, were redesigned by Donato Bramante. Cutting terraces into the hilly terrain and linking them by staircases was a revolutionary approach to garden design at the time and set a pattern for future Renaissance gardens across all of Europe. Much of Bramante's original design has vanished as buildings were added over succeeding centuries, but the terracing remains visible in the shape of the land, a shadowy reminder of earlier times.
Another feature surviving from the 16th century is the Villa Pia, a charming casino built for Pope Pius IV. Built into a hillside, the ground floor opens to a fish pond at the front, while the opposite side gives access to the higher ground, where there is an oval courtyard with shaded loggia. It is said that the present Pope enjoys the garden very much and makes a point of walking in it for an hour each afternoon when he is in residence.
These are Italian gardens, so there isn't a lot of 'flower power' - Italian gardens take their beauty from structure, form, sculpture, water, classical ideals. Flower color is generally found in pots planted seasonally.
Tivoli is also a good suggestion. Villa D'Este is exquisite and Villa Adriana is interesting. Here are some photos, if you're interested: http://gardentouring.fotopic.net/c1527639.html Just scroll about half-way down the page for Villa D'Este and Villa Adriana.
