Gardens of Ninfa 2021
The 2021 opening times for the Gardens of Ninfa have not yet been released. Keep this page bookmarked for the opening times and opening procedures for 2021, which should be released by the end of February 2021. In the meantime, please find below some information about how access to the Gardens of Ninfa was managed in 2020. A similar procedure may follow for 2021.
Entrance dates Ninfa 2020
The Gardens of Ninfa altered access arrangements during 2020. Due to social distancing measures, visits were no longer choreographed in large groups. Instead, visitors were admitted individually or with partners or family members. Visitors were invited to bring masks and gloves; with temperature measured on entry.
June: 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 28
July: 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26
August: 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30
September: 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, 27
October: 3, 4, 10, 11, 31
November: 1
During the lockdown period, the Gardens of Ninfa were closed and pre-booked visits were cancelled. If you booked a tour for a date which fell within the period of enforced closure, you will be sent a code via email explaining how to rebook for a later date.
Scroll down for general background information about visiting the Gardens of Ninfa under ‘normal’ circumstances.
Why and how to visit the Gardens of Ninfa near Rome 2020
If you’re looking for the official opening times for 2020 for the Gardens of Ninfa in Italy’s Lazio region, you’ve come to the right place.
This guide to visiting the Gardens of Ninfa includes the official opening days and entry hours 2020 for Ninfa from the official website, as well as up-to-date entry prices for this horticultural marvel.
Please note, that due to the delicate nature of the habitat, you can’t just buy entry to the gardens and walk around yourself. You are obliged to go round with a guide on a fixed tour which lasts about 50 minutes.
Tours of the garden leave at set times throughout the day, usually on the hour. Full timetable at the bottom of the post. The tours are all in Italian, except for two daily English language tours of the Gardens of Ninfa, detailed below.
Read on for everything you need to know about how to visit Ninfa, and even more importantly, why you should visit the Gardens of Ninfa!
Hotels near the Gardens of Ninfa – Top hotels near Ninfa
B&B Stazione Latina is a modern hotel property near Latina Scalo railway station, just 3.2 km from the Gardens of Ninfa. Rooms have private bathrooms and balconies. Ideal if you don’t have a car! Doubles from €41
Tenuta le Pantanelle is an attractive, rustic stay in Latina just 3.5 km from Ninfa. Cosy and quiet with a great on-site restaurant. Doubles from €42
Casale Cavatella is a farmhouse stay in stunning Sermoneta, another unmissable town in the area. One of the best value properties in Sermoneta, it’s just 2.9 km from Ninfa. Doubles from €28
LeLive Sermoneta is a truly stunning property in the centre of Sermoneta, contrasting golden, rustic stonework with state-of-the-art facilities. Gorgeous hotel. Doubles from €70
How to visit the Gardens of Ninfa: an introduction to Ninfa
I don’t know about you, but when someone suggests going to visit an ornamental garden, I must admit I usually stifle a yawn. Maybe my English heritage means that I just take great gardens for granted: maybe it’s an appreciation you grow into. That said, I have just one exhortation to make: whoever you are, go and visit the Gardens of Ninfa in Latina, south of Rome.
I actually happened upon the privately-run Gardens of Ninfa by chance, which is a pretty tricky thing to do: they are only open on select weekend dates from March through to November (see details below).
I was accompanying a photographer who was shooting the garden for an upcoming book, so we had the privilege of entering before the crowds, early in the morning. With no expectations, I was stunned to stumbled upon a medieval ghost town, with crumbling houses, bridges and the shell of a centuries old church, open to the sky and the wind, improbably filled with flowers.
In and around the mossy ruins, roses clamber over fairytale arches, while the former moat of the medieval borgo is planted with hundreds of Arum lilies.
How to visit Ninfa: the history of the Gardens of Ninfa
It looks like a love story between nature and the past, and it is; although the two have been conjoined by human hands.
In the 1920s, the Caetani family, ancient feudal lords in Ninfa, started landscaping the long-deserted town with a unique, English vision marrying architectural ruins with the irrepressible life of flora.
English because the inspiration came from Ada Wilbraham, British wife of the then Prince Onorato Caetani. She had evidently inherited the Victorian fascination with the medieval, and approached the project with a poet’s eye.
In its design, there’s also an almost Wordsworthian appreciation of the transforming power of nature, as climbing roses and mosses re-roof crumbling cottages, while shimmering jasmine vines light up broken windows with tiny white stars.
The fast-flowing brook that courses through the 150 acre garden is a brilliant, emerald green, radiating with the life of the waterbed and bubbling with brown trout.
How to visit Ninfa: visiting the Gardens of Ninfa in 2020
Now, some of the medieval buildings have been lovingly restored, and are in part home to the curator and his family, who run the gardens on behalf of the Roffredo Caetani Foundation.
Principessa Lelia Caetani left no heirs, but established a fund for the eternal care of Ninfa in the 1970s. It looks like it’s in good hands.
The Gardens of Ninfa are only open a handful of days a year, so sadly, expect crowds if you visit; guided tours are compulsory to ensure that visitors respect the delicate habitat.
On the tour, however, you learn about the history of Ninfa and its botany, with everything from tropical plants to indigenous trees like the Magnolia and lofty Cypress, as well as antique roses brought from England by the Caetani clan.
There has been a settlement here in the shadow of Monti Lepini since the days of the pre-Roman Volsci tribe, which subsequently became a rich merchant stop-off along the Appian Way in the Middle Ages.
But warring popes and the arrival of malaria from nearby marshes brought Ninfa to its knees in later years, and by the 16th century, the town had been completely abandoned.
Now it teems with life again, home to more than 150 species of birds and thousands of rare trees and plants in a unique paradise shaped by man. Oddly enough, it seems like a fitting destiny.
Essential information for visiting the Gardens of Ninfa: How to visit the Gardens of Ninfa 2020
How to get to the Gardens of Ninfa 2020: I would advise you to go by car. Allow about an hour and a quarter from Rome. It’s signposted quite poorly, but you essentially take the via Pontina south to the town of Cisterna in the province of Latina, and then head towards Norma. Google maps essential.
If you don’t fancy doing this, you can book trips from Rome with reputable tour companies, but you will pay a significant charge for the trip.
Alternatively, you can take a train to Latina and then catch a taxi (about a ten minute ride) to Ninfa. This will take quite a lot longer. There used to be a shuttle bus linking the two but this doesn’t seem to be happening in 2020. We believe that the train + taxi option (plus book your own Ninfa tickets online) is still the cheapest option.
Ninfa entrance fee 2020: €15 per adult, children under 11 go free. Disabled visitors €8 (payment on site only). Adult tickets can now be purchased online, in advance and include the obligatory guided tour. The online booking fee is €0.50 per person. Click here to buy tickets for Ninfa.
Do I need to book a tour or can I visit Ninfa by myself? Due to the delicate nature of the gardens of Ninfa, unfortunately you can’t just buy an entry ticket and wander round by yourself. You have to join an official guided tour which departs more on less on the hour on the days the garden is open. The tours last about 50 minutes. All the tours are in Italian apart from two daily tours in English. Details below.
How to visit Ninfa: Official opening times Ninfa 2020
Days open and opening times 2020:
March: 28, 29
April: 4, 5, 12, 13, 19, 25, 26
May: 1, 2, 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
June: 2, 6, 7, 21
July: 4, 5, 19
August: 1, 2, 15
September: 5, 6
October: 3, 4
November: 1
Opening hours Ninfa 2020:
April – May – June: 9.00 – 12.00 14.30 – 18.00
July – August – September: 9.00 – 12.00 15.00 – 18.30
October – November: 9.00 – 12,00 14.00 – 16.00
Hours of the tours:
9.00, 10.00, 11.00, 14.30, 15.00, 16.00, 17.00.
The ticket office is open from 9.00-12.00, then 14.30-18.00 in the spring; expect slight variations in high summer (open 15.00-18.30 in the afternoons) and the autumn when it closes at 16.00. Buying tickets online is advised to avoid disappointment as visitor numbers per day are capped.
English language tours: During public opening days bilingual guided tours (English / Italian) start at 10.30 and at 15.50.
English-speaking visitors wishing to tour with a bilingual guide should be at the main entrance before the tour departs (according to the site, ideally at 9.30 or 14.30, to avoid disappointment.)
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© Rome blogger Isobel Lee
yes it is a beautifull garden….
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[…] want to immerse yourself in nature. If you’re looking for a more finely cultivated garden, Ninfa may be just the […]
Owh! They dont open the whole year through. I guess I have to plan my trip well if I plan to visit NINFA. I know my bestie absolutely love this place.
Yeah the opening hours are a bit strange – but it is so worth the trip!
What lovely gardens! It looks like a great place to escape the hustle and bustle of Rome. I actually don’t mind wandering around a garden because it is often an oasis of peace in a whole pile of craziness outside.
It is just an amazing place! Shame it’s not too easy to get to, but worth the trek!
Oh how beautiful! Unlike you I visit gardens wherever we go, although I’m no gardener myself. This looks spectacular and how you describe it “a love story between nature and the past” makes me think it’s my type of place. Now I just have to find a way to get to Rome in rose season:)
Thanks Rosemary! It has a unique atmosphere – I don’t think you’d be disappointed!
I had never heard about Ninfa until I read your post. And I’m usually the last person to visit a garden, however, this looks like much more than a garden to me. I love medieval ruins & walking around them & this would be right up my alley!
Thank you! Yes it is an amazing place. Take it from me – I usually think gardens are boring!
Wow, what beautiful gardens! Thank you for introducing me to a new site to add to my must visit list!
Thanks Eulanda! I think you would love it!
What a beautiful place on earth! Its so typically Italy – these old building, colourful flowers.. I have seen it many times when I have been in Italy and I really enjoy the beauty of it. Lovely pictures as well. Hugs, Nana
Thanks Nana! I must say that I love this place!
Beautiful photo’s, so romantic! I missed it on my trip from Rome to the Amalfi Coast, the perfect excuse to go back 🙂
Thank you Maartje! Yes, any excuse to come back to Rome is a good one!
A bit like you I am usually not thrilled about the prospect of visiting a garden but have been to a few soectacular one. Ninfa looks stunning. Sad it’s only open a few days a year!
Yes! The opening hours are a pain, but I have to say that I understand why they need to protect the garden!
What a beautifully written piece. I can almost smell the roses! I’d never heard of this Garden and I do like a potter around a nice garden when I’m away, especially in a city like Rome where the heat, dust and noise can be a little draining.
My Mum is going in June, I’all tell her to book up for a tour 🙂
Thanks Rosie, I think this is a top tip for Mums! But it’s such a beautiful garden that I’d recommend it to anyone!
Never heard about this place before, and its lovely! I think its a great option to visit something different in Rome, will definitely add it to my list. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks Tais! Yes it’s a bit off the beaten track, so good to share the word!
Trains from Roma Termini to Latina
http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en
Shuttle bus from Latina to Giardino de’ Ninfa
http://www.fondazionecaetani.org/ckfilemanager/userfiles/Cartello_Bus_30x40_Completa.jpg
Thanks for the tip Dennis!
Fantastic pictures. Very sunny and warm. I looked at them and warmed up) Thanks!
Thanks George – such a paradise destination!
Grande post.
When will you post the Garden of Ninfa schedule (open days and tour times) for 2019? I plan to be in Rome in 2019 – May 6th, 7th, and 8th, and I want to visit the Gardens. I want to reserve tickets as soon as possible for 2019.
Thank you
Hi Mike, I’ve consulted the official site and the 2019 dates haven’t been released yet, although this year’s dates – and opening patterns – are a good guide. You can contact the gardens for special ticketing requests here, might be worth a try: https://www.giardinodininfa.eu/contatti/
Hi Mike – I contacted them in July and they advised I check website http://www.giardinodininfa.eu in December/January for the schedule but implied times/dates would be very similar to this year.
Thank you Valerie!
[…] Lazio, south of Rome, lies the most unassuming garden in the world. The Garden of Ninfa is a spectacular display of wildflowers and overgrowth rambling through medieval ruins. A tranquil […]
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