The Giardino di Ninfa

Why it is on the list

Ninfa was a papal town, sacked in 1382 and never rebuilt; the Caetani family came back at the end of the 19th century and planted cypresses, holm oaks, beeches and roses among the ruins, and Ada, Marguerite and Lelia Caetani made the garden that stands there now.¹ Lelia, the last of the family and a painter, planted it as she would compose a picture, without chemicals, and set up the Fondazione Roffredo Caetani in 1972 to keep it.¹ The river Ninfa runs through it, past the remains of six churches, among them Santa Maria Maggiore, where Alexander III was crowned pope in 1159.¹ It is a Monumento Naturale Regionale.² The walled Hortus Conclusus, laid out for Cardinal Nicolò III Caetani in 1578 and now restored, is part of the first two and the last two visits of each day in spring and autumn.³

It is the wrong day out from December to February, when it does not open, and for anyone who wants to wander alone: every visit is guided and nobody leaves the group.³⁴ The Castello Caetani, the same family's fortress above Sermoneta, is about nine kilometres away and fills the rest of the day.²

How to get it

Book a dated, timed visit on the garden's site; entry at the gate is not guaranteed and is sold only when a booking falls through.³ A place is EUR 15.75, children under 12 with a parent go free, and tickets cannot be changed or refunded.⁵³ Ask for one of the first two or last two slots of the day to see the Hortus Conclusus; visits in English leave at 10.30 and 15.30.³ The call centre is on +39 0773 1880 888, Fridays 14.00 to 18.00 and weekends and holidays 9.00 to 18.00.⁵

By car from Rome, take the SS148 from the ring road to the turning for Borgo Bainsizza; there is free parking at the entrance.² By train, regional and intercity trains from Termini stop at Latina Scalo, ten minutes by taxi from the garden (Radio Taxi Latina, 0773 1747).² Book lunch at the café by the exit on +39 351 562 6270, by call, SMS or WhatsApp.⁴

Discretion

Visitors enter only in timed groups, so the numbers inside are always limited.³ A party can ask, through the group booking form, for a guided visit on a day the garden is closed to the public.⁶ There is no reliable phone signal or wifi in the garden; keep the ticket on paper or as a saved file.³