Belvedere Cederna

The Belvedere Cederna, the panoramic terrace with a walkway overlooking the Imperial Fora and the Colosseum, has reopened to the public. The site had been closed for many years due to the nearby Metro C construction works: it is named after Antonio Cederna, the unforgettable intellectual who passed away in 1996 and who dedicated his life to historical environmental and cultural campaigns in support of Rome.

Belvedere Cederna has new furnishings, and the plants on the slope bordering and overlooking the upper area have been re-landscaped. In particular, the Laurus nobilis, Ligustrum and Nerium oleander shrubs, four large Punica granatum bushes and a Morus alba have been pruned and secured. Several bushes of Pistacia lentiscus (mastic), Myrtus communis and M. tarentina, Arbutus unedo (strawberry tree), Rhaphiolepis, Abelia grandiflora, Lantana sellowiana, Photinia Frasseri ‘Little Red’, Lavandula (lavender), Westringia fruticosa, Eremophila nivea, Viburnum tinus (viburnum), Nerium oleander (oleander) and Grevillea rosmarinifolia have been planted. In the flowerbed adjacent to the steps leading down near the information centre, on the corner of Via della Pace, a specimen of Philirea latifolia and a Punica granatum bush, both growing spontaneously, have been restored; two Grevillea and a Photinia have been planted at their base.

large Lantana camara, which had grown wild in the niche housing the Fountain of the Nicchione below on the Imperial Fora, was also pruned. All the plants are drought-resistant species from the San Sisto nursery, the headquarters of the Servizio Giardini (Gardens Department), which were previously used for events, maintained by the gardeners, and are now planted. Along the path alongside the Imperial Fora, six benches have been placed, and pots containing five olive trees and ten lemon trees have been placed.

Photo: Belvedere Cederna, ph. Roma Capitale