Gardening Australia – September 2019

66 SEPTEMBER 2019 GARDENINGAUSTRALIA

Norma

AstherearefewamenitiesatNinfa,

itisworththetripuptotheclifftop

townofNorma,whereyouwillfind

mealsandaccommodation,along

withsuperbviewsoverlookingNinfa.

IlCastellodeiCaetani

TheimposingcastleoftheCaetani

familyinSermonetadatesfromthe

13thcentury.Viewedviaguided

tours,thefortressanditsdungeons

areopensixdaysaweek(closed

Thursday)fromApriltoSeptember

eachyear,andonweekendsonly

fromOctobertoMarch.

frcaetani.it/en/caetani-castle

PontineMarshes

ExplorethePontineMarshes

surroundingNinfawithavisitto

PantanelloPark.Rejuvenatedin

the1990s,the100haparkisa

wetlandrefugeformigratingbirds

andrevealstheoriginallandscape

oftheregion.Toursareguided

andmustbebooked.

frcaetani.it/en/pantanello-park

WHILEYOUARETHERE

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.

For more details, visit frcaetani.

it/en or giardinodininfa.eu

NEEDTOKNOW

TheGardenofNinfaislocatedoffthe

touristtrailinwhatisnowanindustrial

andagriculturalregion.Itisn’teasyto

gettowithoutusingyourowntransport

ordoingagardentour.Makeitaday

tourfromRomeoruseitasastop-off

onatriptoSouthernItaly.Readabout

thesiteinNinfa:TheMostRomantic

GardenintheWorldbyBritishgarden

writer,travellerandhistorianCharles

Quest-Ritson(FrancesLincoln,2009).

Ninfa,whichismanagedbythe

FondazioneRoffredoCaetani,isatVia

ProvincialeNinfina68,CisternadiLatina,

about 90 minutessouth-eastofRome.

Planwellahead.Itisopenforbooked

groupsthroughouttheyear,andtothe

generalpubliconsetdays(usuallyonthe

firstweekendofeachmonthandsome

otherSundaysandweekdaysfromApril

toNovember,butdatesvary).Purchase

entranceticketsonlinebeforeheadingto

thegarden.Allvisitorsjoinasmallgroup

foraguidedtour.Whilemostofthetours

areconductedinItalian,youcanchoose

onewithanEnglish-speakingguide. GA

TRAVEL

PHOTOS

ALAMY