Villa Celimontana

This shady public park on the Caelian Hill surrounds a sixteenth-century villa and offers a leafy retreat close to the Colosseum yet largely overlooked by visitors. Gravel paths wind past palms, pines, and lawns to a small Egyptian obelisk raised on the grounds. The villa itself houses a geographical society and is not generally open, but the gardens are freely accessible and popular with locals. In summer the park becomes the setting for an open-air jazz festival held among the trees, a relaxed contrast to the ancient monuments nearby.