Mole Adriana Park Rome: History, Hours and Prices of the Gardens

If you are looking for information on the Gardens of Castel Sant’Angelo, the Parco della Mole Adriana or Parco Adriano, this post is for you.

Soon you will know all you need to know about the history of this wonderful green area, opening hours and reviews left by users.

I will not fail to also tell you what my experience was among the holm oaks, pines and cypresses of this wonderful green area.

Are you ready to follow me? Let’s go!

ALT! Before leaving with the article, I would like to give you a brief warning: given the celebrity of this splendid monument, to visit Castel Sant’Angelo you will certainly run the risk of running into a long queue at the ticket office. To enter this attraction and skip the queue, I advise you to buy your ticket directly online. Click below to book your entrance and enter Castel Sant’Angelo in the blink of an eye!

Mole Adriana Park Rome: Description

The Parco della Mole Adriana, with its characteristic pentagonal shape, encircles the flanks and shoulders of Castel Sant’Angelo and is freely accessible from the Lungotevere Castello, Piazza Pia, Piazza Adriana and Largo Mutilati e Invalidi di Guerra;

The gardens are developed on two levels:

• The upper one is characterised by a wide central pathway with benches, bordered by lecks and pine trees; 
• The lower part, i.e. the moat, accessible via four flights of steps along the sides that do not overlook the Tiber, is maintained as a garden in the outer part, while in the inner part, i.e. behind the castle, there are numerous pine and cypress trees;

The gardens, covering some five hectares, are an oasis of peace in the hectic city of Rome, offering shade and refreshment to citizens and tourists alike.

Tits, titmice and robins are at home here, as are pigeons and crows, which take advantage of visitors’ offerings.

For some time now, also thanks to the city’s increasingly tropical climate, it is not uncommon to see many green parrots in Parco Adriano: the collared parakeets, originally from Asia, and the Monaco parakeets, originally from Latin America.

Approaching the banks of the Tiber, however, we might come across the majestic (and opportunistic) gull.

Also speaking of animals, the park has two areas in the moat used as play areas for dogs. 

From sunrise to sunset, the gardens offer a range of services free of charge, including a play area for children and several sports facilities.

Admission is also guaranteed to persons with disabilities, with or without accompaniment.

Address, Times and Prices

• Address: Piazza Adriana, 00193 Rome RM
• Hours: daily, dawn to dusk, slightly variable according to season
• Price: free entrance (to buy Castel Sant’Angelo tickets, click here)
• Entrance: lungotevere Castello, piazza Pia, piazza Adriana, largo Mutilati e Invalidi di Guerra
• Size: about five hectares
• Accessibility: accessible to persons with disabilities

Mole Adriana Park: History

The area surrounding the Castel Sant’Angelo was turned into a park in 1911 following its inclusion in the itinerary of the Esposizione Universale di Roma dedicated to the fiftieth anniversary of the Unification of Italy.

The project envisages the gardening of the squares and bastions between the outer pentagonal and square castle walls, as well as the arrangement of the area with fountains and architectural monuments.

Urban VIII’s two barracks, which had not yet been demolished at the time, were restored to be transformed into the premises of the Museo del Genio militare and the Exhibitions of Roman Topography, Numismatics, Sphragistics and Epigraphy.

The area is enhanced by a double row of trees along the embankments and two parterres gardens;

This, essentially, remained the organisation of the park until 1934, when the Governor of Rome, Francesco Boncompagni Ludovisi, entrusting the project to the Roman architect Attilio Spaccarelli, started work on the gardens as we know them today.

The double row of trees is thus extended to all four embankments, and a new system of geometrical flowerbeds is created along the square and triangular walls in what used to be the Piazza d’Armi.

Two monumental staircases, crowned by exedras, are built in front of the ramparts to connect the two different levels of the gardens.

A travertine plaque, decorated with fasces lictors, reminds us that the work was carried out under the Reign of Victor Emmanuel III and the Mussolini Government.

In the same year, the statue of Emperor Hadrian was made, which still stands today behind Castel Sant’Angelo, overlooking the monumental Mausoleum he erected to preserve his remains.

The Italian garden on the Lungotevere was instead created on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Year 2000.

The entire area received major green redevelopment between 2015 and 2016.

Mole Adriana Park: Reviews

There is no means of communication as powerful as word of mouth, and since the Internet has also become a meeting and exchange place, albeit virtual, the debate on the quality of services offered has largely shifted to online platforms such as Google and TripAdvisor.

It is normal, before visiting a place, to inquire about the opinion that other users, before (or even after) us, have expressed about their experience. This, in many ways, is a major advantage: it allows us to form an idea in advance and avoid unpleasant situations beforehand.

If you are here, chances are you too would like to get an idea of the experience you could have by visiting Castel Sant’Angelo and the Mole Adriana Park. 

In the following I will tell you what my experience was, integrating it with that of other users and drawing as complete a summary as possible. Read on if you want a preview of what you will see when you visit Adriano Park!

On my last trip to Rome, on the threshold of spring, I naturally decided to stop at Castel Sant’Angelo.

Of the many possible routes to get to the Castle, I chose to take the metro between the Roma Termini railway station and the Lepanto metro station.

From here, also thanks to the weather, I chose to continue on foot along the beautiful streets of the Rione Prati. 

I then reached the castle from the north, via via Virgilio, and once in Piazza Adriana I plunged into Parco Adriano, hot and eager for shade.

The first thing that struck me was the single shape of the garden, which runs along four of the five sides of the pentagonal wall of the castle. It is truly majestic, rational and full of greenery.

Fortunately, I was not slow to find a nice free bench in the shade where I could rest and enjoy the view.

The park is always busy, but never crowded. Its large spaces promise peace and refreshment, offering numerous activities to do in company or alone. It is not uncommon to see someone passing by in a jogging outfit, under the shade of the pine trees, or to bump into a few lonely readers on the more secluded benches.

For children in search of adventure, a well-equipped play area is certainly a point of interest. And when you get gripped by the heat, a public fountain pops up.

Inside the garden there are also toilets for a fee (the entrance, the last time I was there, cost € 1.20) and easy access routes for people with disabilities.

From my point of view, this park lacks nothing. I found it suitable for all ages, couples, groups or loners, sportsmen, artists (there is always someone with a notebook or camera in hand) or those who simply want to enjoy a half hour of peace and relaxation on a bench, in the sun if it is cold, in the shade if it is hot, surrounded by the leches, pines and cypresses and all their friendly feathered inhabitants. The park is also suitable for those who want to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet of the park.

Scouring the web, the impression one gets is that other users also had a positive experience during their visit to the Mole Adriana Park.

With four out of five points on TripAdvisor, and four and a half stars on Google, visitors from all over the world praised the beauty of this oasis in the capital’s hustle and bustle;

However, there are also those who have pointed out a certain carelessness, or at least only partial exploitation and care of public spaces.

As a visit time, considering that the park is open from dawn to dusk (opening and closing slip by a few hours depending on the season) I would recommend the cooler hours in summer, and the middle, warmer hours in winter. Some users advise against going there at dusk, probably referring to insufficient artificial lighting.

Castel Sant’Angelo Gardens: How to Get There

The Gardens of Castel Sant’Angelo are freely accessible during opening hours from Castello Lungotevere, crossing the Ponte Sant’Angelo south of the Castle, or from largo Mutilati e Invalidi di Guerra if coming from the east, from Piazza Adriana if coming from the northeast and from Piazza Pia if coming from the west.

The nearest bus stops are Vitelleschi (1 minute walk), Ponte Vittorio Emanuele (2 minutes walk) and Lgt Fiorentina / Paoli (2 minutes walk).

The nearest metro station is Flaminia, which is a 15-minute walk from the park entrance.

For more information, read the post with all the datails on the location and how to get there.

Adriana Park: Tickets

The Gardens of the Mole Adriana are freely accessible during opening hours.

However, if you want to visit the castle and its gardens at your leisure, I recommend that you buy a ticket online so as to avoid the long waiting times at the ticket office.

Here you can find the complete list of tickets with all the details.

Parco Adriano Rome: FAQ

Mole Adriana Rome: Conclusions

Well, we have reached the end of this walk through the tree-lined avenues of the Garden of Castel Sant’Angelo;

We talked about its characteristic pentagonal shape, the trees that shade it, and the animals that rest among their branches;

Together we have reconstructed the history of this wonderful oasis from 1911 to the present day;

I have listed for you a list of services that the Parco della Mole Adriana offers its users, I have provided you with the essential information for your visit, and I wanted to tell you about what was my personal experience;

I have also reported some of the impressions gathered on the web and answered the most frequently asked questions. If you need more information, leave a comment below; if you would like to visit the Ponte dell’Angelo and Castel Sant’Angelo, purchase your ticket and skip the queue at the ticket office.