Rome is a busy, rather hectic city and the constant rush of cars and people can be very tiring after a while. Luckily, there are many parks in which you can relax and get a few hours of peace; one of these parks is the Villa Sciarra on Gianicolo Hill.

In 1653 the large tract of land was bought by Cardinal Antonio Barberini, who intended to create a farm there. The land was sold to Colonna di Sciarra in 1811, who bought some of the surrounding land at the same time.
By 1880, the Di Sciarra family was bankrupt and the estate was split. Most of it was built on, but fortunately an American couple, George and Henrietta Wurts bought the remaining 6 hectares in 1902 and turned them into a botanical garden.

When George died in 1932, his widow donated the park to the Council of Rome and to Benito Mussolini in person, on the understanding that the park would be open to the public. After Mussolini’s downfall, the Council did all it could to hush up the dictator’s connection with the park.

Not that anyone could possibly care about that connection, for here you will find an oasis of peace among botanical plants, grassy clearings, topiaries and small groves of trees. There are many benches around fountains whose statues represent Apollo and Daphne, Dawn and nymphs, fauns and cupids. Other statues in the park symbolise various figures from Roman mythology.

The best time to admire roses is during the principal flowering seasons of spring and autumn, but no matter what the season is while you are in Rome, don’t miss a visit to the Municipal Rose Garden.

This beautiful garden is on Aventine Hill and is one of the most important rose gardens in the world. From the 17th century until 1934 it was the Jewish cemetery, before the cemetery was moved to Verano. The land was ceded to the Town Council in 1950 and the rose garden was opened in 1956. To remind the public of the land’s former use a small Star of David was put over the gate, and the layout of the paths form a menorah.

The garden is divided into to two parts; in the first part you will find roses bred for national and international competitions and new varieties that you won’t find in the shops. The second half of the garden holds the permanent collection.

The permanent exhibition is divided into three groups: ancient, botanical and modern. In the botanical section you will find the oldest specimens, many of which you will probably recognise from parks and perhaps your own garden. The “ancient” section is actually younger than the botanical section; it has a wonderful display of roses that have been bred by crossing flowers from the botanical section. The modern section is full of flowers that have been crossbred from the 19th century onwards.

On the north side of Palatine hill, one of Rome’s seven hills, you will find the Farnese Gardens. A flight of stone steps lead from the gardens to the Roman Forum.

The land was bought in 1550 by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese and he had a summer home built on the site of the palace Emperor Tiberius, the ruins of which he had buried under tons of earth.

The gardens, laid out in the 16th century classical form, in quadrants with a well in the centre, were created by Vignola and completed after his death by Rainaldi. The cardinal was an important patron of the arts and these lovely gardens became a favourite gathering place of Rome’s literati of the epoch.

He was also a keen horticulturist and he created beautiful botanical gardens. Botanical gardens were a novelty at that time, being mainly cultivated by a few Italian universities. One of the cardinal’s importations from Central America, a Needle Bush, bears the Latin name acacia farnesiana and is the base of the biochemical, Farnesol, used in perfumery.

Unfortunately, not much of the pavilions, terraces and groves remain. In 1860, the land fell into the hands of Napoleon III, who ordered extensive excavations on the site. The ruins of the palace of Tiberius were uncovered during this period and you can see them while you wander around the rather sad remains of what was once the first private botanical garden in the world.

While you are on holiday in Rome don’t miss the Parco di Colle Opio, situated not far from the Colosseum.

The idea for a park here started in the late 19th century, but the work was carried out by Raffaele de Vico in 1938. It is a large area of about 11 hectares and you will find here the ruins of the Thermae di Traiano, or Baths of Trajan, a complex consisting of several pools (warm, hot, cool), gymnasia, changing rooms and two libraries. The south-western exedra is still intact, as is the massive underground cistern called the “seven rooms”. The cistern was maintained by slaves and contained 8 million litres of water. The Baths were constructed in 109AD and were used until around 537 when the Goths destroyed many of the city’s aqueducts.

Another interesting ruin in the park is the Domus Aurea, the Golden House. This was commissioned by Nero and built in 64AD, after the Great Fire had destroyed most of the surrounding area. The building stood in the middle of a vast tract of land where Nero had an artificial lake created and a forest planted. When the emperor died in 68AD, the lake was drained and the Colosseum built in its place, the Domus Aurea was filled in with soil and various buildings were put up over it, including the Baths of Trajan, the Baths of Titus and a temple to Venus.

The buried ruins of Nero’s palace were discovered in the 15th century, and artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael visited them to admire the magnificent frescoes preserved underground. Unfortunately, exposure to air and water did a great deal of damage, but during excavations in 2009 a rotating banquet hall and the mechanism beneath it were discovered. Entrance to the palace was closed to the public in 2010 when a large part of the vault in one gallery collapsed after heavy rain.

The Villa Celimontana is a wonderful place for a leisurely afternoon away from the hustle and bustle of Rome.

Situated on Caelian Hill, one of the Seven Hills, the park covers a large part of the valley between this hill and Aventine Hill, and adjoins the Baths of Caracalla. The land, which at the time was a vineyard, was bought in 1553 by the Mattei family and the villa was built in 1580 by Del Duca.

The first gardens were also laid out at this time. The villa was mainly used to house the extensive Mattei family art collection. Although the collection has long been sold to various museums, the villa remained in the family until the early 19th century. In 1926 it was given to the Italian National Geographical Society.

The gardens became a public park in 1926 and today it is one of the favourite picnic areas for tourists. The park is very beautiful with its marble statues, its fountains and fishpond. There is a splendid arboretum, a children’s playground and pony rides. In the summer jazz concerts are held here as well as temporary art exhibitions.

You can admire a small obelisk with hieroglyphs about the life of Ramses II. The obelisk was given to the Mattei family in 1582 and it was the centrepiece of the park. In 1817 it was moved to its current position to the left of the park’s main entrance. While settling the obelisk on its base, a workman got his hand and foreman trapped underneath and had to have part of his arm amputated. His hand and forearm are still under the obelisk.