World’s most romantic garden

THE GARDEN OF NINFA in Italy

Outside Rome, set amid crumbling ruins, Ninfa easily lives up to its reputation as the most romantic garden in the world, writes JENNIFER STACKHOUSE

There’s something very special about the Garden of Ninfa, built in and among the ruins of a medieval town. This is a garden filled with romance. Profusions of old-fashioned climbing roses, Chinese star jasmine and mauve wisteria scent the air with their delicious fragrance. Here and there are beautiful blossom trees, and the property is traversed by numerous streams and cascades flowing fast among swathes of soft grass. There’s nothing quite like it.

The history of the site goes back to the Middle Ages, when it included houses, churches, bridges and other buildings, all contained within fortified walls. The town was destroyed in 1382 and left in ruins. After that, all attempts to repopulate the

area, which is wet and swampy, were plagued by outbreaks of malaria.

Move on to the 20th century, when descendants of the Caetani family, who had owned Ninfa since the 13th century, set about reclaiming the garden. They didn’t want to reconstruct the whole site, just garden among the ruins. From the 1920s, successive generations created and tended the garden, with the help of many talented and inspired gardeners.

We especially owe thanks to the final owner of this unique space, Lelia Caetani, who bequeathed Ninfa as a garden and wildlife refuge, to be managed by a trust.

Along with its historic setting and the inspired work carried out by the Caetani family and others, Ninfa benefits from fertile soils and a special microclimate. It is fragrant, lush, whimsical and alive with birds, insects and green-backed lizards. Rare trout swim lazily in streams dotted with ducks. There are plenty of photo opportunities. You won’t want to leave this magical, fairytale garden.

NEED TO KNOW

The Garden of Ninfa is located off the tourist trail in what is now an industrial and agricultural region. It isn’t easy to get to without using your own transport or doing a garden tour. Make it a day tour from Rome or use it as a stop-off on a trip to Southern Italy. Read about the site in Ninfa: The Most Romantic Garden in the World by British garden writer, traveller and historian Charles Quest-Ritson (Frances Lincoln, 2009).

Ninfa, which is managed by the Fondazione Roffredo Caetani, is at Via Provinciale Ninfina 68, Cisterna di Latina, about 90 minutes south-east of Rome. Plan well ahead. It is open for booked groups throughout the year, and to the general public on set days (usually on the first weekend of each month and some other Sundays and weekdays from April to November, but dates vary). Purchase entrance tickets online before heading to the garden. All visitors join a small group for a guided tour. While most of the tours are conducted in Italian, you can choose one with an English-speaking guide.

LEFT & ABOVE Wisteria woven among the ancient ruins at the Garden of Ninfa produces weeping racemes of fragrant blooms during spring, creating a storybook quality; crystal-clear streams flowing through grassy meadows add to the feeling of tranquillity.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Rambling roses and other informal plantings inject life into the remains of a once-thriving medieval town at this historic site; different levels of fast-moving streams throughout the garden are punctuated by cascades; a timber footbridge provides access across the creek while adding character and charm.