Villa Ada is set in the second largest public park of Rome after Villa Doria Pamphilj’s. It is located between the Parioli and Trieste quarters and can be reached by taking the Via Salaria in the direction of the Grande Raccordo Anulare.
The park dates from the 18th century, when the English-style garden became a trend. Before then, the estate was home to an Irish college and comprised extensive farmland.
The 18th-century Tempietto di Flora and the Belvedere were built when the estate belonged to the Pallavicini family.
The property’s female name, Ada, was chosen by Count Tellfner, who named it after is wife. The Count sold the Villa to the Savoy family in the early 20th century.
Villa Ada became a public park in the mid-1950s, although part of the gardens and the Villa Reale are the seat of the Embassy of Egypt due to a donation made by Umberto di Savoia.
The park’s natural environment is quite diversified. There are Italian-style gardens, expansive lawn and small thick woods where wild animals such as wolves, hedgehogs and squirrels, find shelter.
The estate also comprises an artificial lake.
There are several areas designed for outdoor activities. Especially during the weekends, people come the park to jog, exercise and ride mountain bikes.
Because of the park’s vast open shady spaces it is very popular among locals and tourists alike in the warmer months of the year.
The event Estate Romana features an ethnic music festival, held on the small lake, which attracts a great deal of people every summer.