Genzano Di Roma: History and Gardens

For a stay in Genzano Di Roma, the town’s history and local culture provide a concrete framework: the medieval borgo, Baroque street axes, ancient connections and Pane Casareccio di Genzano represent different themes you can include in your travel plans. Palazzo Sforza Cesarini connects the borgo with the outer urban fabric. If you are looking for a hotel in Genzano Di Roma, you can shape your stay around the themes that interest you most: street axes, antiquity, gardens or local food culture.

Borgo, Palaces and Baroque Street Axes

Tours of Palazzo Sforza Cesarini and the park take place only on Saturdays and Sundays and require advance booking. Check access details before your visit.

Via Livia, now Via Italo Belardi, is approximately 235 metres long and forms part of the Baroque town plan conceived by the Cesarini family in the mid-17th century. It was the main axis of the trident they laid out between the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Via Bruno Buozzi, formerly Via Sforza, forms its second route. Its straight axis runs from Piazza T. Frasconi through Piazza IV Novembre to the middle Olmata.

Palazzo Jacobini stands on Via Bruno Buozzi and is the most significant monument on the former Via Sforza. Giovanni Jacobini had the palazzo built in 1707. The different streets and buildings thus reveal several phases of the town’s development.

Ancient Connections and Art

According to ancient sources, Emperor Antoninus Pius was born in 86 AD at the Villa degli Antonini; Commodus was also born there. Remains found at the villa are displayed in Palazzo Sforza Cesarini. The palazzo thus brings together evidence from the ancient villa with the history of the medieval borgo and the later town plan.

The Chiesa di Santa Maria della Cima stands at the highest point of the town and dominates the entire centre. Its main altar features a large altarpiece by Francesco Cozza, depicting the Madonna in Glory between Saints Peter and Paul. The church thus combines its prominent position in the townscape with a specific, identifiable work of art.

Parco Sforza-Cesarini and Lago di Nemi

Parco Sforza-Cesarini is a 19th-century Romantic garden overlooking Lago di Nemi. A large basin in the grotto area was used to collect water. These two details give the garden its distinctive historic character: the lake view shapes its landscape, while the basin recalls an earlier practical use.

Bread from Genzano and Floral Displays

Pane Casareccio di Genzano has the protected geographical indication IGP and is produced exclusively in Genzano. You can sample Pane di Genzano at some historic bakeries, where the old 17th-century ovens are still in use. Its protected origin and traditional ovens connect the local bread with the town and its history.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Velletri, Nettuno, Torre Gaia, Finocchio, Cecchina, Lanuvio, Civitella San Paolo, Castel Gandolfo.

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