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Woods and Parks
The Chigi's Park

Town: ARICCIA

It is difficult not to be astonished from the rare beauty of this park and from its numerous kinds of plants, which represents one of the few examples of the original vegetation of this area. A nook of paradise with very suggestive views: the Mascherone fountain, the fish-pool, the huge aviary, and the caves used in the past by the Chigi to put things in cold storage. It is possible to follow paths flanked by old ilexes and maples, lindens and oaks belonging to various species, and to see free fallow deer. It is a natural reserve which forms part of the Parco Regionale dei Castelli Romani, extending over a 28-hectare-wide area, enclosed by walls built in different ages.

Area's Natural Characteristics
This wood represents one of the last portions of the ancient “nemus aricinus” woods, deemed to be a sacral place from Latins in the IV century B. C. This wood covered in the past a wider area till covering the whole volcanic surface of the Colli Albani. The Savelli first and the Chigi later owned it for a very long time, preventing the introduction of chestnuts, which were planted in the nearby areas, and therefore the chigi's park consists of the original vegetation which once characterized this area. Among the patriarch trees there are a lot of ashes, very high and reaching an height of 20 metres. Among the very old trees there are twenty-meter-high ilexes with a girth of 5 metres. The oldest ilex is planted in the highest part of the park. The ilex trees and their undergrowth with evergreen plants of Viburnum, the rahmnus alaternus and the stracciabraghe, characterize the greatest part of the park. The part characterized by different kinds of plants, a vegetation which once was typical of the Colli Albani area, and by holly and bay, is very beautiful. There are ornamental plants coming from different countries, marking a common trend in the past, i.e. the use of exotic plants to beautify parks and gardens. Among these plants there are sequoias and magnolias with their sweet-smelling flowers. The owners of the park and of the Palace realized the aviary, the renaissance garden and preserved wild animals to hunt. Francesco Chigi (1881-1943), one of the founders of the Rome's Zoo, created near the aviary a sort of small zoo, rearing wolfs, turtles in a basin and flamingos in an artificial pond. The park was also famous for a group of albino fallow deer, now died out. In 1989 some fallow deer were reintroduced, which are now very numerous because they are very prolific.

Place
Along the Via Appia Nuova (S.S 7) leaving Albano, cross the monumental viaduct of Ariccia, from where it is possible to see the Chigi's Park on the right. Once you reach the square “Piazza di Corte”, you fill find the entrance to the palace.

Roads and Public Transports
By Car: From Rome, cross via Appia Nuova (sliproad 23 of the G.R.A.) following the road signs to Albano Laziale and Ariccia. You can park in front of the town hall of Ariccia; on foot you can reach the entrance to the park, after crossing a wonderful gate.
By Train: The nearest railway station finds at a distance of three kilometres,i.e. in Albano. There is a train starting each hour from Rome. It will take you 50 minutes to reach Albano Laziale. For information on train timetable call the phone number 848888088 or visit the web page www.fs-on-line.it.
By Bus: Rome-Velletri. (Cotral bus service phone number 800431784, phone number 067222153) from the underground station ‘Anagnina' of the Linea A. It will take you about 50 minutes to reach P.za di Corte in Ariccia.
Topic: Botany, Fauna

Visits
It is possible to visit the botanic garden only with a guide and by booking the visit, from the 1th April to the 30th September; on Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 19:00 p.m. and from Monday to Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 17:30 p.m. It is possible also to visit the palace's rooms. For information and reservation call the phone number:06 069330053, fax 069330988, email: palazzochigi@pcg.it.

Tourist signs
Absent

Further Information
Web sites: www.pcg.it/comune-ariccia/fotochig.htm, www.castellionline.com, www.hurricane.it/castelliromani.
Books: Bassani P., Petrucci F., 1992. Il Parco Chigi in Ariccia. Ed. Parco Regionale dei Castelli Romani, Rocca di Papa (RM); Bassani P., Petrucci F., 1995. Routeso nel Parco Chigi. Town Ariccia (RM); Bassani P., Lotti L., 1992. Alberi e arbusti del Parco Regionale dei Castelli Romani. Edizioni del Parco, Rocca di Papa (RM).


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