Italy › Lazio › Giardino di Ninfa
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (see source page)
Abandoned village
Giardino di Ninfa
Ninfa was a medieval town at the foot of the Lepini mountains, abandoned in the 1600s because of malaria. In the twentieth century the Caetani family created a romantic garden on its ruins, one of the most famous in the world, where towers and churches rise among roses and streams.
Visiting
Before you go
- Getting there
- In the comune of Cisterna di Latina, about 70 km from Rome: Via Appia or A1 exit Valmontone, then signs from Cisterna. By train to Cisterna di Latina, then a taxi.
- The visit
- About an hour and a half; since 2026 there are two themed routes, on plants and on the ruins.
- When to go
- Spring, for the blossoms. In summer only evening visits (Friday, Saturday and Sunday).
- Good to know
- Tickets around 16 euros (21 for sunset visits). Places are limited: book early on the Fondazione Caetani website.
Practical information gathered from official and local sources on 9 October 2026. Opening times and conditions change: always check before you go.
Plan your visit
Where to stay nearby
Affiliate links: if you book from here the site earns a small commission, at no extra cost to you. That is how Borghi Fantasma stays free.
History
The Garden of Ninfa is a natural monument of the Italian Republic in the territory of the comune of Cisterna di Latina, on the border with Norma and Sermoneta. It is a classic English-style garden, begun by Gelasio Caetani in 1921 on the site of the vanished medieval town of Ninfa, of which only scattered ruins remain today, some restored when the garden was created.
The town of Ninfa, whose name seems to come from a classical temple to the nymphs on an islet in the small lake, probably already existed in Roman times, but only as a small farming centre. In the mid-8th century Pope Zachary received from Constantine V Copronymus, in thanks for checking the Lombard advance by interceding with King Liutprand, large farmlands near Norma, where there was a country estate. At that time the Via Appia and Via Severiana became impassable as the marsh spread, and trade moved to the foothill road passing near Ninfa: a toll on anyone using the road proved a source of wealth, and Ninfa soon became a small town with many houses and churches.
In the 10th and 11th centuries, although the land belonged to the Papal States, the real rulers of the area were the Counts of Tusculum. In the early 12th century Pope Paschal II regained control of Ninfa: in 1116, through the Pactum Ninfensium, the town was entrusted to its own inhabitants in exchange for loyalty to the Church, some financial obligations and the order to pull down its defensive walls.
Text: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · translated from Italian
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