Ninfa: what we hadn’t told you yet

by Osvaldo Bevilacqua 5 June 2026

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If you’ve already visited Kronostories, you may remember our first story about Ninfa — the abandoned medieval town near Cisterna di Latina, the spring-fed river that runs through it, the Caetani family who looked after it for centuries, and that New York Times headline that called it the most romantic garden in the world. If you haven’t read it, it’s well worth a look: you can find it here.

Ninfa: il giardino definito dal New York Times il più bello e romantico del mondo

Blossoms, botanical secrets, literature and everything you need to know to visit in spring

This time we enter through a different door. A microclimate that shouldn’t exist here. The Agro Pontino isn’t exactly the sort of place where you’d expect to find century-old Japanese maples, American magnolias and bamboo. Yet in Ninfa, all these thrive, and the reason lies in invisible roots. The River Ninfa rises from a small spring-fed lake: water that rises from the subsoil at a constant temperature, summer and winter. This sustains a permanent level of humidity that creates a microclimate anomalous to the surrounding area — milder in winter, cooler in summer. It is that temperate bubble of air that allows species from every latitude to coexist across eight hectares as if they were always in their natural habitat.

A literary salon amidst the ruins

Virginia Woolf, Giuseppe Ungaretti, Alberto Moravia, Truman Capote — they all passed through here, drawn by Marguerite Chapin Caetani, an American who had married Roffredo Caetani and transformed the garden into a European cultural hub. It was Marguerite who founded Botteghe Oscure, one of the most important literary journals of the twentieth century, based in Rome but imbued with the spirit of this place. It is no coincidence that Ninfa has been included in the Italian Literary Parks Network: it is one of the very few places where nature and writing have been so thoroughly and continuously intertwined.

Little wonders amongst the plants of Ninfa

There is a plant that lives on air. On the trunk of a centuries-old cedar grows a Tillandsia, a rootless epiphyte: it survives thanks to the support of other plants without, however, drawing nourishment from them — its sap is, in fact, drawn from the moisture in the air. It is there, almost invisible, like an uninvited guest that no one wants to turn away.

The hill of ornamental apple trees — which in spring becomes a pink cloud above the ruins of the church of San Giovanni — was created entirely by Donna Lelia Caetani, the family’s last heir and daughter of Marguerite Chapin and Roffredo Caetani. Together with her mother Marguerite, she introduced numerous magnolias, prunus trees and climbing roses, and created the rock garden, also known as the ‘colletto’.

And it was Donna Lelia herself who established the Caetani Foundation in 1972, which still looks after the garden today.

Vista della torre del Castello di Ninfa dal Colle dei Meli — *View of the tower of Ninfa Castle from the hill of ornamental apple trees*

Among the garden’s many unassuming stars is the Cotinus coggygria, known as the tree of mist. Its feathery inflorescences, a shade of pink reminiscent of candyfloss, seem to envelop the branches in a light mist. It is one of the most striking plants in Ninfa.

A sinistra il Cotinus Coggygria, l'albero della nebbia — *On the left is the Cotinus Coggygria, the mist tree*

The River Ninfa once had a different course. It did not always follow the path we see today. Until the 1930s, it flowed for over forty kilometres across the Pontine Plain before emptying into the sea between Terracina and Circeo. The land reclamation works of those years diverted it into the Collettore delle Acque Alte, reducing it to the stretch that now runs through the garden: a beautiful fragment of a watercourse that was once much larger.

Before the garden: when water was sacred

There is something that predates the Caetani family, predates the climbing roses and wisteria on the towers. It predates even the medieval village. It is water.

The springs that today feed the river and make the garden possible were considered sacred long before anyone thought of planting a tree there. In ancient times, the fresh water that bubbled up from the rocks in seemingly arid places was an object of veneration: it belonged to the Naiad Nymphs, mythical creatures who inhabited springs and streams, symbols of the life-giving forces of nature. Their presence was both feared and revered, and to keep them at peace — or in good favour — a temple was erected on the spot where the river still rises today. According to tradition, the river Nymphaeus, the river of the Nymphs, took its name from that temple, and from it the village, and from it the garden.

Pliny had already described its wonders in his *Natural History*: floating islets that moved to the rhythm of music, and flames that burst forth from the river stones whenever the rain fell upon them. These were the evocative qualities of a place that always seemed to straddle the boundary between the natural and the supernatural.

Science has since sought to shed light on these mysteries. In 1994, divers from the Lu.Pa. association dived into the artificial lake at Ninfa and, at a depth of five metres, discovered a paved area bordered by what appears to be a low wall, with blocks interpreted as the possible steps of the temple. The water that today reflects the cherry blossoms thus flows over even older ruins, submerged and silent. A story within a story told by the clear spring of Ninfa.

The Hortus Conclusus is a Renaissance-era space that was closed to the public for a long time due to restoration work, but is now open to visitors once more. It is a self-contained enclosure featuring an octagonal stone basin situated at the junction of the paths within the enclosed garden, two large rectangular stone basins, and a unique view of the castle tower. It is worth requesting a visit when booking.

Spring in Ninfa

A sequence of blooms: Ninfa does not burst into bloom all at once; it has its own rhythm. The first to open — as early as late February on mild days — are the star magnolias of the ‘Rosea’ and ‘Water Lily’ varieties, with their tight, delicate flowers heralding the rest. Then come the ornamental cherry trees and the Prunus, a cascade of pink cascading over the grey stone walls.

March and April bring the main attractions: wisteria climbing over arches and ruins, water irises along the river, tulips, daffodils and grape hyacinths dotting the meadows like confetti left over from a party. If you can choose when to visit, keep an eye on these weeks: they are the heart of the season.

How and when to visit in 2026

The garden is open at weekends and on public holidays from 21 March to 8 November. Visits are always guided, with groups setting off approximately every ten minutes. The tour lasts about an hour. The route is also accessible with pushchairs and wheelchairs.

Booking is compulsory and can only be made online at giardinodininfa.eu — tickets cannot be purchased on site. In spring, places sell out quickly: it’s best to book well in advance. In July and August, there are evening openings at sunset on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, featuring themed tours.

There is always something new to see at Ninfa, as every season brings something different and the light on the water changes with every hour of the day. That is why you can visit again and again.