Vatican Gardens, Vatican City State
If you happen to be looking out the window as you tour the Vatican Museums you may get a glimpse of lush greenery. Located inside Vatican City lies an oasis away from the hustle and bustle of Rome (much as we love Rome, it is nice to get a break sometimes). These are typical Italian gardens, which means that the emphasis is on the shrubbery and landscape layout, so don’t expect a lot of flowers.
The Gardens are located on one of the highest points in the city at had their beginnings back in the Fourth Century when Pope Boniface VII had a small garden with medicinal herbs. The gardens continued to expand and in 1559 Pope Pius IV had a casina, or summer residence, built as a respite from the heat of the Apostolic Palace. Then, in the 1800’s ,under the auspices of Pope Leo XIII the gardens were expanded again and additional pathways and shrubbery was installed. The Pope often strolled the gardens to pray and reflect. Saint John Paul II was also a big fan of strolling through the gardens, and in his younger days was said to go for a jog as well.
The garden within the walls originally consisted of an orchard, a lawn and a garden. Its artistic and architectural splendor reached its peak between 500AD and 600AD when the garden was adorned with statues and fountains thanks to important artists and architects such as Donato Bramante and Pirro Ligorio.
Inside the Vatican Gardens you can admire statues of the Blessed Mother, many individual grottoes..
The gardens are embellished by fountains with various water features such as the Galera Fountain, the Fountain of the Eagle and a fountain in the shape of a galleon that shoots jets of water from its cannons.
In 2011 Pope Benedict XVI held a ceremony to inaugurate the 100th fountain, the Saint Joseph Fountain, in the Vatican Gardens. Also of particular interest is the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, a replica of the famous grotto in France.
In 2025 Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, blessed a statue of “Mary, Mystical Rose” at the Vatican on Monday of Holy Week. The statue, donated by Pope Francis, was placed in a shrine close to the Sacrament Fountain in the Vatican Gardens. You can read more about Mary, Mystical Rose (Rosa Mysica) here.
There is an olive tree donated by the government of Israel and the gardens contain every plant mentioned in the Bible.
We encourage you to tour the gardens when you visit Rome. Each tour is led by a licensed Vatican tour guide and you will be given “whisper” headsets so that you can hear the guide clearly. Usually the guide will speak English as well as another language depending upon the group taking the tour.
The tour usually begins in an area behind the Sistine Chapel, where the Pope walks. While on the tour you will see the Vatican Radio tower, grotto, scientific school as well as an altar and able to see the Dome from anywhere in the garden. Tours last about two hours and cost about 31 Euros per person. You should plan on getting tickets in advance. Various private tour companies can arrange tickets for you. Most group tours do not include the Vatican Gardens, but if you have some free time on your tour you can possibly fit it in.
There is a small convent located in the gardens: the Mater Ecclesiae Convent, located behind the “Fountain of Eagles”. It was used for cloistered nuns from time to time. This 4-story building shown here has not attracted much attention in the past but until recently it had a famous resident: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI until his death. It contains a chapel, library and half-basement.
Click here for the official website of the Vatican Museum (the gardens are part of the Vatican Museum).