According to the New York Times, the Giardino di Ninfa in Italy is the most romantic and beautiful garden in the world. And it’s easy to see why.
Located an hour and twenty minutes from Rome, it’s every romantic’s dream landscape there is: A lush garden full of medieval ruins, covered in green vegetation and crossed by a calm and peaceful river. Thousands of years of history are hidden in these eight hectares of ponds, plants and colorful flowers that have earned the garden of Ninfa the title of “Most Beautiful Garden in the World” by the American magazine New York Times.
The name of the garden and the river comes from the nearby city and temple from antiquity, which were dedicated to the gods of spring water. They can still be found near this location today. In the Middle Ages, a castle was built here to protect the surrounding area from the frequent wars. Its tower and some of its walls are the only remains from this period. Over time, the castle fell into disrepair and when British woman Ada Bootle Wilbraham married into the centuries-old owners of the property, the Caetani family, she found the location ideal, finding it to be the perfect place for an English garden.
This particular style of garden is intended to create an idyllic, pastoral landscape that combines lush and almost “wild” vegetation with replicas of temples from antiquity and Gothic ruins. The garden at Ninfa was perfect for this purpose – and more “fake” ruins were added as required.
At the beginning of the 20th century, it became a safe haven for Italian and English poets and artists who were patronized by the Caetani family. In fact, it gained so much prestige that the garden of Ninfa was declared a natural monument by the Lazio region in 2000. Nowadays, the garden can only be visited on a few days a year – tickets cost €15.50 and can be purchased online.