Vatican Gardens

Brief information

The Vatican Gardens occupy more than half of Vatican City State: 23 hectares out of 44. This is not merely a green area beside the palaces, but a large section of the western part of the Vatican, mainly on Vatican Hill, which rises more than 60 meters above the surrounding area. On three sides the gardens are bounded by the Vatican Wall, so their scale reads not as an open park, but as a separate protected territory inside the tiny state.

Their purpose changed noticeably over time. At the end of the 13th century, medicinal plants, vegetables, and fruit were grown here; later, the working garden gave way to ornamental parks, fountains, villas, and administrative buildings. Because of this, the territory looks like a mixture of garden, fortified space, and working Vatican: old walls, a Renaissance villa, dense thickets, and even a heliport can coexist side by side.

What to notice right away

It is worth comparing the boundaries and the relief: the Vatican Wall to the north, south, and west emphasizes the enclosure of the gardens, while the hill explains why part of the territory remained dense and less regular. The most “natural” zone is described as lying between the Leonine Wall and the Vatican administration building: there, hilly terrain is covered with stone pines, pines, oaks, cypresses, and palms.

Water features help reveal another layer of history. Springs once supplied the Vatican with water and supported subtropical vegetation; in the 17th century, additional water from Lake Bracciano made it possible to create fountains, cascades, and water devices. Against this backdrop, the Villa of Pope Pius IV, the Tower of the Winds, and the old fortifications show that the garden here was not only a place for plants: it accommodated science, defense, representation, and the Vatican’s everyday work.