HISTORY OF THE ORTO BOTANICO IN ROME
Rome's Orto Botanico has roots dating back to the 11th century. During this time period, Benedictine monks kept small medicinal gardens known as "Giardini dei Simplici", Gardens of the Simples-where plants and herbs found in local areas were grown for utilitarian purposes.
By the beginning of the 13th century, the Catholic Church in Rome identified the need to build a large Giardino dei Simplici within the Vatican Walls. In 1514, the University of Rome "La Sapienza" was given the task of teaching about medicinal plants and be in charge of maintaining and cultivating the Vatican's Giardino dei Simplici. La Sapienza has remained the custodian of the Orto for almost 500 years.
From 1601-1629, the Giardino dei Simplici was run under the directorship of Giovanni Faber who referred to the plant material in the garden as botanical, ultimately transitioning the Giardino dei Simplici to the Orto Botanico. Shortly after this period, the Pope's residence moved to the Quirinale, and the Orto was left in total abandonment. In the early 17th century, Pope Alexander VIII deeded an area around the Janiculum Hill to La Sapienza to develop into a new Orto Botanico.
In 1820, La Sapienza built a new Orto in the abandoned gardens of Palazzo Salviati. The Museum of Natural Sciences moved to the palazzo in 1876, forcing the Orto to relocate to the Convent of Lorenzo V in Via Panisperna until 1883, when after lengthy negotiations, the Orto acquired the site behind the Palazzo Corsini.
The Orto's first director at the current site, Pietro Romaualdo Pirotta, greatly influenced the present day site. He reorganized the landscape and introduced many of the flora that shape the Orto today, including the exotic palm tree collection conspicuous throughout much of the lower garden area. He oversaw the transformation that turned the old formal garden of the Riario and Corsini families into the scientific and educational resource that it is today.
