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22nd May 2017 * Places to Visit * Daniel Carruthers
The advantage of returning to Rome for a second time is that we had ticked off all the main sights during our first, foot-weary visit a few years ago. This time we could escape the milling throng and get a feel for Rome beyond the tourist madness. Staying on the other side of the Tiber from most of the action - in the Trastevere District - meant it was quieter, greener and a lot more relaxing. And who wouldn't be charmed by a b&b called Buonanotte Garibaldi? Hidden behind concealing gates in a wall, its rooms were arranged around a cool, quiet courtyard garden that was patrolled by the Noa the resident dog.
Rome's Botanical Gardens are a five minute walk from Buonanotte Garibaldi and they are a perfect place to wander on a hot afternoon. Like most botanical gardens, it is more a place of plant science than horticultural excellence, but it is beautifully positioned on a hillside with wonderful views over Rome. It has many mature trees, an impressive grove of giant bamboos, magnificent palms and an elegant (but empty) greenhouse that I rather coveted.
Views across the river to the part of the garden that can be seen but not visited The Hortus Conclusus - in the rain
A particular delight, among many, was meeting Lauro Marchetti who has spent his entire life at Ninfa and is now the Curator of the foundation that was created to safeguard the future of the garden. He first came to Ninfa as a small child when Lelia Caetani - the third of the women who spent a lifetime making the garden what it is today - visited his family on the next door farm. He was drawing a goldfinch and was a bit put out when she told him that there was too much red on its head. She offered to help him get it right if he visited her at Ninfa. Lelia was the last in the line of the Caetani family and childless and from that inauspicious beginning she went on to informally adopt him. He soon got over her criticism (she was an accomplished artist) and spent a magical childhood exploring every nook and cranny of the garden, observing the wildlife and watching the gardeners at work. Later he became an apprentice gardener and then a gardener and was Lelia's natural successor when she died in 1977. If ever someone was imbued with the atmosphere of a place, it is Lauro. A gentle, charming man, Lelia chose well.
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