Restored Secret Garden of Tramontana Reopens at Villa Borghese

The Giardino segreto di Tramontana, one of three hidden gardens at Villa Borghese in Rome, has been restored and will be included in guided tours starting September 2016. Known historically as the onion garden or the garden of flowers at tramontana, it sits along the northwest wall of the Casino Nobile, now the Galleria Borghese. The restoration, costing 60,000 euros, was funded by the Mecenati della Galleria Borghese, led by Maite Bulgari, in collaboration with the Comune di Roma. The garden, a nearly 90-meter-long rectangle with symmetrical flowerbeds, was replanted with almost 1,000 plants, including 300 yellow tagetes, ornamental salvias, and two groups of Hibiscus mutabilis, whose flowers change color with light conditions. The project followed philological care in plant selection, reviving an Italian-style garden documented since 1680. The small fountain with the Borghese dragon along the central avenue was also cleaned.