Villa Celimontana
Villa Celimontana
3.5
About
Home of the Italian Geographic Society and one of the best kept villas in Italy
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The area
Neighborhood: Centro
How to get there
- Circo Massimo • 9 min walk
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7,547 within 3 miles
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
3.5
127 reviews
Excellent
31
Very good
52
Average
23
Poor
5
Terrible
16
ginsengNewYork
New York City, NY1,314 contributions
Aug 2022
Located just above and behind the Colosseum. During the summer, you can enjoy lovely, relaxed, inexpensive jazz concerts!
We spent our last two evenings there, and wished we had gone every night ! Village atmosphere, good choice of food and drinks, different artists every night.
Highly recommended!
We spent our last two evenings there, and wished we had gone every night ! Village atmosphere, good choice of food and drinks, different artists every night.
Highly recommended!
Written September 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DCDolcevita
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico556 contributions
In summer, the jazz club Alexanderplatz holds its concerts outdoors, in a lovely park south of the Colosseum called Villa Celimontana. Their website lists the concerts, but is otherwise quite useless. Do not attempt to buy tickets online – the computer system does not work well and there is a high likelihood your reservations will be lost. You can buy tickets to the concert at the entrance to the park (on Via Navicella near the intersection of Via d. S. Stefano) starting at 7:30 pm the night of the concert, but the gates don’t open until 9 pm. (Unless it’s a very popular concert or a Saturday night, you can probably wait until 9 to get your tickets.) The concerts begin at 10:15 pm. Seats are unnumbered, so it’s best to reserve a table and eat dinner before the show. The number for table reservations is [-], starting at 6 pm the night of the show. The food is decent and reasonably priced, and the seats have a good view of the stage. There is also a wine bar and a snack bar at which you can reserve tables or just purchase food and beverages. Be sure to put on insect repellent before you go!
Written August 11, 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gerwyn J
Auckland, New Zealand145 contributions
Jul 2012 • Family
The park was big, with dirt walking tracks leading to the different areas. The playground was ok, no shade for the children in such a hot heat. The turtles were amazing, fenced off in a little pond. The gardens / grass need a bit of work and lots of rubbish.
Written September 6, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
misterfuss
San Francisco, California164 contributions
Nov 2023 • Solo
I do not know much about the villa, but I enjoyed the surrounding park. I recommend this after you've visited Rome on multiple visits and you've seen most of Rome's must-see sights. If you are in the right frame of mind the park can be like walking through an Edward Gorey illustration. The Tempio Gotico looks like his stage set from the play Dracula. The ancient Egyptian Obelisco Matteiano, sometimes called the Celimontana Obelisk, looks like one of his cemetery drawings, with a jardiniere urn from his book The Doubtful Guest. The statue of the headless Caesar looks like one of his illustrations from Les E ́changes Malandreux. And the Fontana del Fiume looks like a scene from the opening of Masterpiece Theatre. The main entrance is also quite a sight, with a pair of freaky Mannerist style caryatids dating back to the early 17th century.
Written December 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
olgazasenko
Kyiv, Ukraine44 contributions
It's not touristic at all. And it is soo quiet, that I would dare to whisper here.
Of course it holds no interest for those who come to Rome just for a few days. But for those "who've seen it all" it's a nice place to chill. The park has beautiful flower bushes and some interesting sculptures.
Of course it holds no interest for those who come to Rome just for a few days. But for those "who've seen it all" it's a nice place to chill. The park has beautiful flower bushes and some interesting sculptures.
Written July 28, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Roger N
Bedlington, UK671 contributions
The sign at the entrance bears graffiti but thankfully there is none inside, nor any beggars, scarf sellers, selfie stick sellers etc etc. A real place of tranquility and the best place I have visited in Rome. Love.y to wander the paths, watch the birds and butterflies and lizards. A delight.
Written May 17, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dan B
Geneva, Switzerland94 contributions
Apr 2015 • Couples
Charming little park on the Celio hill.
Good place to basking in the sun, or walk in love.
You'll be be surprised by the green parrots who have made their big nests on large cedar park. And by their impressive fuss!
Good place to basking in the sun, or walk in love.
You'll be be surprised by the green parrots who have made their big nests on large cedar park. And by their impressive fuss!
Written April 11, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DryPuddle
30 contributions
Sep 2022 • Family
Quiet place to relax. Dirt pathways. Small playground for kids with some missing swings. Pony rides for kids also available near the playground. Garden needs some maintenance, all ponds were empty and dry. Disappointed that the public toilets were closed.
Written September 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dapper777
Monaco65,346 contributions
Oct 2021 • Friends
It is a bit out of the way but it is always pleasant, if you are around, to go inside for a walk.
Villa Celimontana, despite not having the extension of the more famous Villa Borghese and Villa Ada, offers pleasant walks in a lovely landscape, enriched here and there by some artistic and architectural elements of a certain charm and artistic interest. The villa is located on the south side of the Caelium Hill, in the center of important monuments and archaeological areas such as the basilica of St. John Lateran to the east, the Colosseum to the north, the Baths of Caracalla to the south and the Circus Maximus and the Palatine Hill to the north west.
Villa Celimontana, which was once called Villa Mattei, is a public park in Rome that has existed since the 16th century. It was subject to transformation in 1858 by the French architect Pierre Charles L'Enfant (1754-1825) on the initiative of Laura Maria Giuseppa di Bauffremont and again in 1870, with interventions in neo-Gothic style, for the last owner Richard von Hoffmann.
It is a place that since ancient times was known for its vegetation and its water sources.
A monumental entrance is located near Piazza della Navicella. Another entrance, with an original portal, is in front of the church of Saints John and Paul.
The park was created in the place of a vineyard by Duke Ciriaco Mattei, in the 16th century.
The main building built in the 16th century is located near the monumental entrance of the villa.
This entrance was rebuilt on the original model in 1931.
It consists of an ashlar gate, decorated with two caryatids and a coat of arms of the Municipality of Rome, surmounted by an attic with balustrade and windows. It is assumed that the original model of the caryatids was Ancient Roman.
The Casino Mattei or Palazzetto Mattei, traditionally entrusted to Jacopo Del Duca, a pupil of Michelangelo, and now the current headquarters of the Italian Geographic Society, dates back to that period.
Walking in the park, it is possible to discover some archaeological remains, a neo-Gothic temple, the remains of the Basilica Hilariana with detail of the staircase leading to the dolmen (erected by Manius Publicius Hilarus), a 17th century fountain (Fontana del Fiume) and a playground for children, where ponies can be hired.
The ancient city walls of the Flavian and Trajan periods are almost entirely covered and invisible today.
An Egyptian obelisk from the time of Ramses II comes from the Temple of the Sun in Heliopolis. It was installed here in the 16th century, originally placed in the temple of Isis with two other similar monoliths.
The villa changed owners several times, until it was bought by the Italian State in 1915 and sold in 1925 to the Municipality of Rome, which opened the park to the public.
In the summer, the park hosts a quality jazz festival.
It needs maintenance and attention.
The fountains' basins are empty and the paths seem abandoned.
Nonetheless, the park is worth a visit.
Villa Celimontana, despite not having the extension of the more famous Villa Borghese and Villa Ada, offers pleasant walks in a lovely landscape, enriched here and there by some artistic and architectural elements of a certain charm and artistic interest. The villa is located on the south side of the Caelium Hill, in the center of important monuments and archaeological areas such as the basilica of St. John Lateran to the east, the Colosseum to the north, the Baths of Caracalla to the south and the Circus Maximus and the Palatine Hill to the north west.
Villa Celimontana, which was once called Villa Mattei, is a public park in Rome that has existed since the 16th century. It was subject to transformation in 1858 by the French architect Pierre Charles L'Enfant (1754-1825) on the initiative of Laura Maria Giuseppa di Bauffremont and again in 1870, with interventions in neo-Gothic style, for the last owner Richard von Hoffmann.
It is a place that since ancient times was known for its vegetation and its water sources.
A monumental entrance is located near Piazza della Navicella. Another entrance, with an original portal, is in front of the church of Saints John and Paul.
The park was created in the place of a vineyard by Duke Ciriaco Mattei, in the 16th century.
The main building built in the 16th century is located near the monumental entrance of the villa.
This entrance was rebuilt on the original model in 1931.
It consists of an ashlar gate, decorated with two caryatids and a coat of arms of the Municipality of Rome, surmounted by an attic with balustrade and windows. It is assumed that the original model of the caryatids was Ancient Roman.
The Casino Mattei or Palazzetto Mattei, traditionally entrusted to Jacopo Del Duca, a pupil of Michelangelo, and now the current headquarters of the Italian Geographic Society, dates back to that period.
Walking in the park, it is possible to discover some archaeological remains, a neo-Gothic temple, the remains of the Basilica Hilariana with detail of the staircase leading to the dolmen (erected by Manius Publicius Hilarus), a 17th century fountain (Fontana del Fiume) and a playground for children, where ponies can be hired.
The ancient city walls of the Flavian and Trajan periods are almost entirely covered and invisible today.
An Egyptian obelisk from the time of Ramses II comes from the Temple of the Sun in Heliopolis. It was installed here in the 16th century, originally placed in the temple of Isis with two other similar monoliths.
The villa changed owners several times, until it was bought by the Italian State in 1915 and sold in 1925 to the Municipality of Rome, which opened the park to the public.
In the summer, the park hosts a quality jazz festival.
It needs maintenance and attention.
The fountains' basins are empty and the paths seem abandoned.
Nonetheless, the park is worth a visit.
Written December 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tina F
Rome, Italy161 contributions
Sep 2018 • Friends
After a busy morning of sightseeing, why not buy a sandwich and enjoy it while strolling through Villa Celimontana? Not far from Circo Massimo and a lovely place to relax and recuperate during you busy Roman holiday.
Written January 16, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Verrò a visitare il ninfeo dell'uccelliera, vorrei sapere se ci sono molte scale da fare e se il percorso è faticoso. Grazie
Written February 21, 2020
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