Palazzo Barberini has always been familiar with bees: as an heraldic symbol of the powerful family that gave birth to Pope Urban VIII, born Maffeo Barberini, they are scattered almost everywhere, carved or painted, starting with the large coat of arms on the palace’s façade. But now, from the beginning of June, it is possible to hear their typical buzzing sound, having healing power according to ancient traditions. The “Regina Apium” project, conceived by the FAI Rome Delegation with the support of Roma Capitale, brings bees to the city, in some of its most symbolic places, to help maintain and improve biodiversity.
Two hives with 100,000 bees of a very tame species typical of the regions of central Italy are thus housed in the Barberini garden, a green, quiet and well-kept space almost unknown to most visitors to the Palazzo. The beekeepers of the Abbey of San Paolo take care of the swarms and of the new guests that play an extraordinarily important role in assessing the health of our environment: constant monitoring of insects, their health and their products, such as wax and honey, also allows to obtain valuable data on air pollution.
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