You can enter the Vatican Garden with either a tour group or an open-bus tour with an audio guide. You can more quickly cover more of the garden sites of over 23 hectares (57 acres) through the bus tour, but obviously certain areas without a road can only be accessed by foot. Opt for the guided tour for this reason, but mainly because you can only book a tour of the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel with the guided garden tour combo.
Hint: Book your Vatican tour tickets early because tickets sell out quick. (Sssh, because private tour companies buy the tickets in bulk and sell them to individuals joining their respective tours; ticket scalping is common in Rome and in the Vatican).
By the way, the St. Peter’s Basilica is free to tour. The Vatican Museum starts at 22 Euros, Sistine Chapel starts at 23 Euros, while the Sistine Chapel/Vatican Museum and Vatican Garden combination ticket is usually at 45 Euros. Try to get yours online directly from the Vatican ticket center as a guided group tour.
Start your tour with the Vatican Garden first. The sun won't yet be very hot in the morning, and the Garden tour involves a lot of walking outdoors.
You will get a headphone to listen to your garden tour guide's narration.
Highlights of your tour will include:
The Italian Garden: You can clearly and easily identify the Italian style of gardening with its geometric cut hedges and paths framed by pine trees, cypresses and other native trees. It’s often called a formal style of gardening.
The Italian Garden relies heavily on forms and patterns in its perennial evergreens with a statue or a fountain on the main axes of the garden rather than relying on flowers and colors.
The Italian Garden, created in 1929, provides the best visual impact in this Vatican Garden.
The Rose Garden: Not many roses might not be in bloom at the time of your visit. The Rose Garden is the most floriferous section of the Vatican Garden if your visit falls during the blooming season of most roses, from June through August. Regardless of the time of your tour, you get a good view of the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, at least.
Fountain of the Eagle: This 17th-century fountain was installed to celebrate the return of water (Acqua Paolina) to the Vatican from the repaired aqueduct of Trajan. The fountain is named after the eagle sculpture on top of the cave with a fountain coming from the inner part of the cave. More fountains on the sides of the cave add water to a large pool.
Pretty soon you will realize that the Vatican Garden is not what you might expect it to be. It’s not a flower garden; there are not many blooming plants in the garden; the Garden lacks the colors that you see in most of the great gardens in the world. It’s not a botanical garden either. Plants and trees are not necessarily grouped by species or taxonomic order.
The Vatican Garden is more like a collection of grottos and religious pieces, in a very large garden. Well, the Vatican is a religious place after all, right?
Lourdes Grotto (Grotta di Lourdes): This is a replica of the Lourdes Grotto in France. The big ivy-covered cave makes the statue of the Virgin Mary look smaller.
Our Lady of Fatima statue: On May 13, 1981, on the day of Our Lady of Fatima, Pope John Paul II was shot by a hired gunman at St. Peter’s Square. Pope John Paul II credited his miraculous survival to divine intervention from Our Lady of Fatima.
Our Lady of the Watch statue: Our Lady of Guadalupe is captured on Juan Diego's vestment
Mother Mary The Madonna and the Holy Child mosaic
The Governor’s Palace is the seat of the Vatican City’s government. The Palace sits in the Garden behind the Basilica.
In the front lawn of the Governor’s Palace you'll see the Papal Coat of Arms made of topiary figurative art. The crown and the keys of Saint Peter are planted in colorful perennials, while the other area is adorned with flowering annuals.
Saint John’s Tower: Constructed in the 16th century by Pope Nicholas III, this circular tower and a rectangular annex were rebuilt in the 1960s by Pope John XXIII.
Inside are papal apartments, and your guide will mention that this complex houses many state dignitaries when they visit Vatican City. The guide will also share the information that President George W. Bush met with Pope Benedict XVI in 2008 in the St. John’s Tower.
Pope Leo XIII Palazzina di Leone XIII: A statue of Pope Leo XIII in a reflective pose was installed among mature trees. Pope Leo XIII was noted for his intellectual and spiritual leadership. Your tour guide might claim that Pope Leo XIII planted a tree in this place before his death. When the coral tree (one of the trees the pope planted) would flower, the place would turn bright red. Modern Art Installations: Pope Francis has added a different take on great art, installing modern and unconventional art pieces in the Vatican Garden. One such installation is done by an Argentine compatriot. Argentine sculptor Alejandro Marmo’s “Christ the Worker” is made out of metals abandoned near closed-down factories. Another unexpected art installation is a statue of Mother Mary, made completely from recycled metal scraps.
In art, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Indeed.
* * * * * * * *
Click on the following link to view a similar blog article on the Vatican Garden with photos: https://sansenleevendiola.wordpress.com/2023/10/11/the-vatican-garden/
Comments