AETAS VIAGGI – tel. + 39 06 71 58 40 64 – [email protected] – www.aetasviaggi.com

GARDENS OF – & 5 DAYS/4 NIGHTS

Day 1 : Arrival at the of Rome Fiumicino, welcome and departure by private bus GT to , a village south of Rome, on the lake of the same name. In locality Castel Giuliano, private visit the Palazzo Patrizi with its ancient secular Park , built on the Etruscan and Roman settlement. It became the property of the Marquis Patrizi since the sixteenth century. After centuries of neglect, the owners wanted to restore to the park, to the castle and to the church family the past splendor, thanks to long and highly accurate restorations. Herbs and flowering shrubs grow at the base of majestic and long- standing specimens of Pinus pinea, oaks, cedars of Lebanon, magnolias and maples, which accentuate the contrast between the spontaneous nature and the green ruled as an ornamental with superb refinement of tone and color. But the real feature of this garden is represented by roses, hundreds of ancient varieties of roses, including the magnificent specimens of "Barbier Albertine", "Blue Magenta" "Sweet Juliette .. Drive to the north of Lazio, the region of Viterbo. Continuation to , where we will visit (private visit) the historic Relais Villa Lina, at 4 km from the natural reserve of , in , near the sulfur baths known for their therapeutic waters. The architect Raffaele de Vico in 1920 has created here an Italian garden that represents a true Symbolic Garden, a temple of the nature and of the two energies: the masculine and the feminine, yin and yang. Beside the symbolic garden, Villa Lina also has a Bio-Energetic Garden done in 2009, with an innovative therapeutic path due to the presence of trees of great vitality and the interaction between the natural electromagnetic fields, energized by the water abundant volcanic rocks (on which stands the garden) and electromagnetism. Overnight in Viterbo.

Day 2 : After breakfast, guided visit of the historical center of Viterbo, one of the beautiful medieval Italian cities. Departure to Bagnaia for visiting the Park of , one of the most famous Italian surprise mannerism’s gardens of the sixteenth century , created by Vignola. In 2011 the Park was proclaimed the most beautiful in , particularly because of the spectacular system of fountains and water features. Continue to to visit (private visit) the Moutan Botanic Centre, which handles in an area of 15 hectares the largest collection in the world of Chinese tree peonies and herbaceous plants (more than 200,000 copies). It contains about 600 different varieties and natural hybrids of the botanical species known. The center also produces an exclusive line of cosmetics with the Chinese peonies. It’s possible to visit the garden only during the months of maximum flowering peonies, from March to May. Continue and visit in locality the Sacred Forest or Monsters’ Park, one of the most beautiful and original gardens of the sixteenth century. It was conceived and designed by Prince Vicino Orsini and by the great architect Pirro Ligorio, in 1552. The park is made with the geometric structure and perspective of the Italian garden, with large terraces and fountains with water, but the cultured Prince of Bomarzo devoted himself to the creation of an extraordinary and eccentric "wood", inside the park, doing sculpting in the boulders of lava stone, protruding from the ground, enigmatic figures of monsters, dragons, mythological ambiguous subjects and exotic animals, which alternates with a leaning shed, a funeral temple, fountains, seats and obelisks, on which it affect mottos and inscriptions. Overnight in Viterbo.

Day 3 : After breakfast, departure to and visit (private visit) to Castello Ruspoli and its park. Property has formed around a fortress built in the year 853 by the Benedictine monks, in 1704 the castle was buy from the family Ruspoli, with the obligation of maintaining the family name and today it is still summer residence of the descendants of the same family. The garden is home to one of the most acclaimed parterre of the seventeenth century; the large flat and rectangular space is crossed in length and width by four avenues, that define twelve parterres of buxus, aligned and squared, with a large tank in the center enclosed by four arches of balustrades. Continuation of our trip and arrive in Rome for a guided sightseeing tour of the historical center with a stop in front of the Coliseum. Time at leisure (1h30) for personal visit or photos. Transfer to the Hotel. Overnight.

Day 4 : After breakfast, transfer to the Vatican City, for a guided tour inside the Vatican Gardens, which occupy two-thirds of the State of Vatican City (23 hectares). The gardens are a place of rest and meditation of the Roman Pope since 1279. The period of greatest architectural development of the Gardens is, however, between the sixteenth and the seventeenth century, when artists and architects working as Donato Bramante and Pirro Ligorio (the Casina Pio IV ), as well as painters and engravers that portray the beauty of the place, including Antonio Tempesta , Giovanni Maggi and Giovanni Battista Falda . In the Gardens, consisting of an Italian garden, an English garden and the Horto of the Pope, there are sections of the Leonine Walls, cottages, fountains, temples, caves and shrines dedicated to Our Lady, such as the one dedicated to Our Lady Guard or the reproduction of Lourdes Grotto. Plants, trees, flowers, shrubs, climbers from all over the world complete the garden. After, you will have the opportunity to visit by your own one of the largest museums in the world, Vatican Museums, with a unique collection of ancient and modern art. At the end, we suggest the visit of the Square and the Basilica of St. Peter and a a walk to the old town, along the Ponte Sant'Angelo to Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. At the end of the afternoon, meeting with the coach for transfer to the hotel for overnight.

Day 5 : After breakfast, drive to Cisterna di Latina, to visit (private visit) the Garden of Ninfa, declared a Natural Monument by the Region Lazio in 2000 and described by the New York Times as the most beautiful garden in the world. It’s an historic garden of about 8 hectares, created on the ruins of the medieval town of Ninfa. You can still see houses, churches, bridges, public buildings, surrounded by 1,300 species of plants: nineteen varieties of deciduous magnolia, birch, water iris and a stunning variety of Japanese maples, ornamental cherry, viburnum, honeysuckle, the ceanothus, holly, clematis, dogwood, ornamental apple trees and the tulip tree. In addition, there are many varieties of roses that climb on trees and ruins, skirting the river and streams: banksiae, bracteata, 'Ballerina', 'Iceberg', 'Max Graf', 'Complicated', 'Penelope' ... The mild climate of Ninfa also allows the cultivation of tropical plants such as avocado, Gunnera manicata South America and banana trees. The historic garden is surrounded by the Natural Park of Patanello, WWF oasis since 2009. Transfer to the airport for the return trip.