Viewing Rome
Features
Essence
Time Line
Peace & Quiet
* Parks and Gardens
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Famous People
The crumbling masonry of ancient Rome contains a wide array of plants, small animals and birds. In the 19th century, for example, several specific studies of the flora of the Colosseum were made and hundreds of plant species were identified. Many of these have since disappeared but in spring there is still a flamboyant display of wild and semi-wild flowers sprouting up in the Fori Imperiali. If you look carefully, you may catch sight of little birds or scuttling lizards, particularly the green-grey Sicilian lizard or even the far rarer green lizard. Geckos, on the other hand, are everywhere. The more exotic birdlife includes the blue rock thrush, the black redstart, little owls and kestrels.
The most famous of the city's trees are the pines of Rome, the aptly named umbrella pine (Pinus pinea). Many of the palm trees were planted at the end of the 19th century while orange trees, which sometimes drop their soggy fruit at the feet of passers-by, have long been used to decorate palace and convent gardens.
Finally, a word of warning for hayfever sufferers: the plane trees that line the river and some of the main streets emit a particularly potent pollen in spring.
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