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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