Rome’s Gardens – Photographing Rome During Jubilee 2025

For the Holy Jubilee Year of 2025, the city of Rome has been engaged in years of beautifying preparations; oftentimes at the discontentedness of tourists hoping to seamlessly photograph the iconic monuments of the ancient city. Countless tourists visit Rome a year, with 2023 seeing the visit of around 35 million people to the city. Rome is expecting to see an even higher number of tourists in the 2025 Jubilee year due to increased religious pilgrims and a continuing trend of increasing tourist numbers in the post-pandemic years. 

This combination of view-obstructing construction with increased car and human traffic throughout the city presents a unique conundrum for individuals hoping to photograph the city. Though there are a plethora of alternative ways to photograph popular sites such as the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Jewish Ghetto, and Saint Peter’s in despite of these hurdles, there are also countless other visually striking areas of the city to photograph. 

One facet that Rome has to offer is the access to numerous beautiful parks and gardens. Perhaps most well-known are the Borghese gardens, located in a sprawling open space located just outside of the city walls surrounding the Villa Borghese. Existing as a public garden, anyone can access this park littered with historical statues and antique water fountains. This lush, green space is photogenic at all hours of the day, but one noteworthy aspect of these gardens is the overlook above Piazza del Popolo at sunset called Pincio Terrace. With a clear view of the dome of Saint Peter’s, the bright setting rays of the Roman sun cast a stunning light against the green of the Borghese gardens at this hour. Scattered across the gardens are countless photographic possibilities, including the historic Villa Borghese and a lake bustling with row boats located in front of the Temple of Aesculapius. Though the Borghese Gardens are a popular and well-known spot for both locals and tourists in Rome, with their vast size and countless spots to photograph, they present a distinguished alternative to crowded Roman streets surrounding the most popular sites. 

Across the city, one can find Villa Sciarra, another flourishing park located between Trastevere and Monteverde. This area of the city, particularly contrasted against central Trastevere located just down the hill from the Villa, presents another unique opportunity to escape crowds. This park is a more quiet alternative to the Borghese Gardens and contains numerous antique fountains and  elegant gardens, as well as another lookout over the city that provides access to sights such as the Vittoriano and Roman Forum. 

If one is pursuing an alternative subject to the most popular ancient monuments across the city of Rome, there truly are numerous options. However, Rome’s gardens provide an opportunity to photograph a more natural facet of the city, one that provides the opportunity at unique vantage points and lighting. 

-Samantha Wolfe