# Garden of Ninfa and Sermoneta A trip from Rome to the Garden of Ninfa, which opens only on set days and by reservation, and to the Caetani castle and medieval village of Sermoneta. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/lazio/garden-of-ninfa-sermoneta · Revisado: 2026-11-12 South of Rome, where the Lepini mountains drop onto the Pontine plain, there are three visits a few kilometres apart: the Garden of Ninfa, a romantic garden planted among the ruins of a medieval town; Sermoneta, a stone village crowned by the Caetani castle; and the walls of the Latin city of Norba, on the plateau above. Ninfa is the reason most people come, but it can't be improvised: it opens only a few days a year and by reservation. ## When does the Garden of Ninfa open? The Roffredo Caetani Foundation, which manages the garden, opens it only on set days from March to November, with guided group visits in time slots that are booked on its website, giardinodininfa.eu. The ticket office doesn't guarantee tickets: it only sells if places are left after cancellations. The 2026 season has already ended, and the foundation announces that the garden returns in spring: check the 2027 calendar as soon as it's published and book straight away, especially for April and May. Children under 12 don't pay, there are English-language visits at 10:30 and 15:30 and dogs are allowed on a short lead. ## What can you see in a day? The Garden of Ninfa, in the morning: the river of transparent water, the bridges, the ruined churches covered in rose bushes and trees from all over the world. Next to its walls, the Pantanello wetland, recreated with the WWF, with 152 recorded bird species. The Caetani castle, in the afternoon, with a one-hour guided visit, and a walk round Sermoneta, with viewpoints over the plain as far as Monte Circeo. If you have time left or it's winter and Ninfa is closed, climb to Norba, with its walls of polygonal blocks and views over the garden. ## How do you get there from Rome? By car, about an hour and a quarter along the SS148 Pontina; the garden has free parking at the entrance. Between Ninfa and Sermoneta it's about 9 km, half an hour by mountain road according to the foundation; Norma, for Norba, is a quarter of an hour from Ninfa. Without a car, regional and intercity trains from Roma Termini towards Naples via Latina stop at Latina Scalo; from there, a taxi to the garden, about 10 minutes (Radio Taxi Latina also operates on Sundays). There's no public transport to the door. ## Where to eat? On opening days, at the garden exit there is a bar with a dining area; to eat, book a table by phone or WhatsApp. You can't take food into the garden. In Sermoneta, opposite the castle entrance, Al Castello opens on Saturdays and Sundays at lunchtime, with truffle all year, mushrooms, game and polenta in winter. For a dinner in the countryside, the restaurant at Molino 7Cento, in Cori, cooks with produce from its organic farm; from May to September, Friday to Sunday, its visit to the vineyard and winery with a tasting costs €45 per person. ## Where to sleep? Inside the village of Sermoneta, Le Camere Pinte rents rooms and apartments with a kitchen in a 15th-century stone house, with a private spa, from €100 a night. In the Cori countryside, Molino 7Cento is a relais in an 18th-century mill with a pool and restaurant. Without a car, the Agriturismo Giulia Bè is about 2 km from Cisterna station, with trains to Rome, and has apartments with a pool from €70 for a double. ## Dónde está - Cerca: Castelli Romani (a 32.3 km), Subiaco (a 41.4 km), Tivoli (a 46.4 km), Rome (a 54.4 km) ## Qué hacer - **Garden of Ninfa** (1 h · Gardens, photography, spring): Ninfa was a medieval city abandoned in the 14th century, at the foot of the Lepini mountains. At the start of the 20th century the Caetani family, owners of the place, began to plant a garden among its ruins: today it is an English-style garden with a river of transparent water, bridges, roses that climb over the ruined churches and trees and plants from half the world. It is a Natural Monument of the Lazio Region and is run by the Roffredo Caetani Foundation. How to visit Only with a reserved guided tour, in time slots and on days set by the foundation from March to November. There is no guarantee of buying a ticket at the ticket office: only if places are left through cancellations. Accompanied children under 12 do not pay and need no ticket. There are tours in English at 10:30 and 15:30. The visit is in a group and at the end you are escorted to the exit. It goes ahead in the rain. Dogs on a short lead are allowed. The 2026 season has ended: the website announces that the garden returns in spring. Check the 2027 calendar on giardinodininfa.eu as soon as it is published and book early, especially for April and May, when the roses bloom. In the first and last slots of each spring and autumn day, the Hortus Conclusus, the enclosed garden, is also entered. Getting there The garden is at Via Provinciale Ninfina, 68, in the municipality of Cisterna di Latina, about 80 km from Rome. By car, along the SS148 Pontina; there is free parking at the entrance. By train, a regional from Roma Termini to Latina Scalo and a taxi, about 10 minutes: there is no public transport to the door. - **Caetani Castle in Sermoneta** (1 h · History, families, combining with Ninfa · €8.25 online): The castle dominates Sermoneta, a medieval stone village on the slope of the Lepini mountains, above the Pontine plain. It belonged to the Caetani from the end of the 13th century; the Borgias occupied and reinforced it for a few years at the end of the 15th, before it returned to the family. Today it is run by the same foundation as the Garden of Ninfa. How to visit Only with an official guide, in a group and on a fixed route, in time slots; the visit lasts about an hour and covers courtyards, walls, towers and rooms with frescoes. Tickets are bought on the Garden of Ninfa website: in November 2026 there are tours on Saturdays and Sundays, at €8.25 online. Check each month's calendar. How to combine it Ninfa is about 9 km away, half an hour by car on a mountain road according to the foundation. On the days the garden is open, the classic plan is Ninfa in the morning and the castle and village in the afternoon. In winter, with the garden closed, the castle and the village make a good Sunday morning. - **Pantanello Park, the wetland beside Ninfa** (1 h 30 · Families, birdwatching): Pantanello was born in 1991, when the Caetani foundation and the WWF decided to return an alfalfa field beside the walls of Ninfa to its natural state, following the studies of the botanist Augusto Beguinot on the original flora of the area. Today it covers about 100 hectares: 20% wetland, 30% woodland and the rest meadow and scrub, with a pond in which the walls of Ninfa are reflected. What you see Birds, above all. As of 31 December 2025, 152 species had been recorded, among them the ferruginous duck, the great egret and the kingfisher, as well as scops owls, owls and nightjars. Bring binoculars. How to visit With a ticket booked on the Garden of Ninfa website, on the dates the foundation publishes. It is right next to the garden: on days when both are open, they combine well. - **A walk through Sermoneta** (1 h 30 · A walk, photography, before or after the castle): Sermoneta is a whole medieval village, of grey stone, perched on the slope of the Lepini mountains above the Pontine plain. You can walk round it in a good hour: sloping streets, arches, stairways and small squares, with the Caetani castle at the top. The walk Leave the car in the car parks at the entrance and climb through the old town to the collegiate church of Santa Maria Assunta, and from there to the castle. Look out from the viewpoints: below spreads the plain that was the Pontine lagoons, drained in the 1930s, and on clear days you can see the sea and the Circeo promontory. Return by the lower streets, with craft shops and bars. When Any weekend of the year. On the days the Garden of Ninfa is open, the village fills up at lunchtime; on weekdays it is very quiet. - **Archaeological Park of ancient Norba** (1 h 30 · Archaeology, views, a walk in the countryside): Norba was a Latin colony founded at the start of the 5th century BC on a plateau of the Lepini mountains, just above Ninfa, and destroyed in the civil wars of the 1st century BC. It was never reoccupied, so its remains are in plain view in the countryside: more than two kilometres of walls of large polygonal blocks, gates, streets and the foundations of temples on the acropolises, with the Pontine plain below. How to visit It is an open-air park next to the village of Norma, with free access according to its official entry; a guided visit can be requested. In the village, the archaeological museum of Norma completes the visit. For hours and guides, call 0773 171 0161. Fitting it in From the Ninfa road you climb to Norma in a quarter of an hour up the slope. It is a good addition to a day at Ninfa or Sermoneta, especially in spring, when the meadows are green. - **Vineyard and winery visit at Molino 7Cento, with tasting** (2 h · Couples and friends; to end a day at Ninfa or Sermoneta · €45 per person · minimum 2): The Garden of Ninfa closes in the afternoon, and in summer Sermoneta castle also keeps its own hours. To end the day with something different, the organic farm Molino 7Cento, in the countryside of Cori, opens its vineyards and winery to visitors from May to September, with a tasting at the end. What the visit is like It is called "Sapori e profumi dell'antico borgo" and lasts two hours, from 17:00 to 19:00. It sets off from the relais reception at 17:00. First you walk around the estate and the vineyards: they explain the native varieties they grow, some almost lost, and the relationship between local agriculture, the history of Cori and its archaeological area. Then you go down to the modern winery to see how they make and age the wine. You finish with a tasting of three of their wines and local products. It costs €45 per person, with a minimum of two people. It runs from May to September, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and must be booked at least 48 hours in advance, by phone, email or through the website. If you want to have lunch or dinner there, the farm offers a fixed menu agreed when you book. The place The borgo is an 18th-century tufa-stone water mill, on the bank of a canal that runs down from the Lepini mountains towards the sea. It ground grain for centuries, was a dwelling from the 1980s and, from 2014, the new owners restored it as a relais, with rooms, a glass-walled restaurant, a wellness centre and a tasting point in the winery. The farm is certified organic; besides wine, it makes an extra virgin olive oil that appears in guides such as Flos Olei. Getting there Molino 7Cento is at Contrada Sant'Angelo, 36, in the municipality of Cori, on the plain at the foot of the Lepini. You get there by car: there is parking on the estate. From Ninfa and from Sermoneta it is a short drive across the plain. ## Dónde comer - **Bar and eating area of the Garden of Ninfa** (Café, Cisterna di Latina, €). Qué pedir: something simple on leaving the visit; book if you want lunch - **Ristorante Al Castello** (Restaurant, Sermoneta, €€). Qué pedir: something with fresh truffle, which the owners hunt themselves, and in winter the polenta - **Molino 7Cento restaurant** (Restaurant, Cori, €€€). Qué pedir: whatever the season brings from the kitchen garden, with a wine and the house oil ## As a family: A garden with a river, a castle and birds Ninfa, Sermoneta and Norba make a good day with children if you book well: under-12s do not pay in the garden, the castle has towers and walls to explore and Pantanello is a wetland for watching birds. The visit to the garden is in a group and you cannot run or leave the path: for the very young, a baby carrier is better. ### What works best The Garden of Ninfa, with the river and bridges; free up to age 12 The Caetani castle, with its one-hour guided tour Pantanello, with binoculars for the birds Norba, with space to run among the walls ### Where to eat Bar with an eating area at the exit of the garden, by reservation ### Good to know In the garden you may not take in food or leave the group The garden is only open on set days from March to November ### Qué hacer as a family - Garden of Ninfa - Caetani Castle in Sermoneta - Pantanello Park, the wetland beside Ninfa - Archaeological Park of ancient Norba ## Consejos ### Book Ninfa before anything else Set the trip date by the garden's calendar, not the other way round. ### Keep the reservation on your phone There's no guaranteed signal in the garden: take a screenshot. ### Ninfa in the morning, Sermoneta in the afternoon It's the order that best fits the visit slots. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### When does the Garden of Ninfa open in 2027? On set days from March to November; the foundation publishes the calendar at giardinodininfa.eu. ### Can you visit Ninfa without a guide? No, the visit is in a guided group and by reservation. ### How do I get from Rome to Ninfa without a car? By train to Latina Scalo and a taxi, about 10 minutes. ### What can I do if Ninfa is closed? Visit the Caetani castle and the village of Sermoneta, and the walls of Norba. ### Do children pay at Ninfa? Accompanied children under 12 don't pay. ### Where can I sleep near Ninfa? In Sermoneta, in the old town; in a relais in the Cori countryside; or, without a car, next to Cisterna station.