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Visit Rome following 8 XVIIIth century itineraries XVIIIth century Rome in the 10 Books of Giuseppe Vasi - Le Magnificenze di Roma Antica e Moderna The Grand View of Rome by G. Vasi The Environs of Rome: Frascati, Tivoli, Albano and other small towns near Rome A 1781 map of Rome by G. Vasi An 1852 map of Rome by P. Letarouilly Rome seen by a 1905 armchair traveller in the paintings by Alberto Pisa The 14 historical districts of Rome An abridged history of Rome How to spend a peaceful day in Rome Baroque sculptors and their works The coats of arms of the popes in the monuments of Rome Pages on a specific pope Pages complementing the itineraries and the views by Giuseppe Vasi Walks in the Roman countryside and in other towns of Latium following Ferdinand Gregorovius A Directory of links to the Churches of Rome A Directory of links to the Palaces and Villas of Rome A Directory of links to the Other Monuments of Rome A Directory of Baroque Architects with links to their works A Directory of links to Monuments of Ancient Rome A Directory of links to Monuments of Medieval Rome A Directory of links to Monuments of Renaissance A Directory of links to Monuments of the Late Renaissance A list of the most noteworthy Roman Families Directories of fountains, obelisks, museums, etc. Books and guides used for developing this web site An illustrated Glossary of Art Terms Venice and the Levant Roman recollections in Florence A list of Italian towns shown in this web site Venetian Fortresses in Greece Vienna seen by an Italian XVIIIth century traveller A list of foreign towns shown in this web site
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All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it. Text edited by Rosamie Moore.

To the Italian visitors of my web site

A Winter View from Giardino degli Aranci

According to the traditional account St. Dominic brought the first orange trees to Rome; they were a gift for Pope Honorius III who had granted him authority for the foundation of Ordo Praedicatorum (Order of the Preachers or the Dominican Order). The pope, also for security reasons, preferred to live in Rocca Savella, a fortified site near S. Sabina and the first trees were planted in the cloister of that monastery.

S. Sabina
The apse of S. Sabina.

Over the years Rocca Savella was abandoned and eventually it became the kitchen garden of S. Sabina Dominican monks.

The orange trees
Plenty of oranges

In 1932 the area was acquired by the Italian government and turned into a public garden. In memory of St. Dominic's gift to the pope it was planted with orange (and pine) trees. The fruits are not edible, but in winter their bright colours are heart warming.

The balcony
The terrace on Easter Monday 2008

The terrace offers striking views over Trastevere, the Vatican, Campo Marzio and Campidoglio. In summer Giardino degli Aranci is one of the venues of Estate Romana.

The View
View (in February 2008)

You can see this view in a 9,912x568 image (1.7MB). The image is accompanied by a second one of the same size which highlights the main monuments and has links to pages showing them.

Other pages of this section:
A New Grand View of Rome
The Angel's Views (Rome seen from Castel Sant'Angelo)
Grand View of Rome from Villa Lante
Roman Terraces
The Domes of Rome
The Bell Towers of Rome
The Loggias of Rome
The Little Madonnas of Rome
The Pines of Rome
Golden Mosaics in Rome
The Talking Statues of Rome
A Roman Bestiary (the animals of Rome)