Vatican Gardens

The Vatican Gardens are urban gardens and parks that cover over half of the land occupied by Vatican City and are located behind St Peters Basilica. The gardens cover approximately 23 hectares of land, most of which is known as the Vatican Hill. The Vatican Gardens were established during the era of Renaissance and Baroque, and are decorated with sculptures and fountains. You can walk in the footsteps of popes who have strolled along these manicured gardens for centuries. You'll see exotic plants, shady paths, and beautiful fountains. The Vatican Gardens feature a typical 16th century design with the focus on structure, sculpture, water, and form. If you are looking for lots of flowers and color, you won't find it in this garden. But, it is still worth a visit.

The Vatican Gardens were created in 1279, when Pope Nicholas III moved the Papal residence from the Lateran Palace to the Vatican. The Pope then planted an orchard pomerium, a lawn pratellum and a garden viridurium. The gardens were surrounded by high walls, which were meant to protect the gardens. These gardens are said to be the place where the Pope meditates privately as he enjoys the nature surrounding him.

The current Vatican Gardens contain a iety of buildings, medieval fortifications and monuments dating back to the 9th century. There are also flower beds, green lawns and a 3-hectare patch of forest. In addition, there are also a number of fountains that cool the gardens. Due to this, the Vatican Gardens have a cool and refreshing atmosphere, making them one of the most popular stops on a visit to the Vatican.With the combination of the architectural buildings, green plants, flowers and cooling fountains, the Vatican Gardens are indeed a serene place to tour.

The only way to see the gardens is to arrange a guided tour half by bus and half on foot through the Vatican as they do not allow people to wander unattended through the gardens. The cost of this tour is 31 euro and includes the official guided tour of the gardens, entrance to the Vatican Museums without a guide, and the rental of audio guides. The visit to the Vatican Gardens is available on every day, except Sundays and Vatican holidays. The tours are also provided in different languages: English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, etc.