San Sisto Orangery

The Orangery and the monumental Greenhouse of San Sisto are located in via di Valle delle Camene, in the center of Rome, near Caracalla’s Baths. The historic Greenhouse building (a single floor structure with a gable roof) was designed in 1926 by Raffaele De Vico (1881-1969), for the production of valuable plants to be allocated to the city’s gardens.

De Vico was one of the protagonists of landscape architecture in the first half of the last century. During his long career, starting from the early 1900s, which he adopted the neo-Baroque poetics in vogue in those years, called “Barocchetto Romano”, he dedicated himself to the design and management of the works of the majority of public gardens of Rome, creating important monumental works also in the building architecture sector.

The building is currently undergoing complete restoration, consolidation and energy requalification works, with the aim of preserving its original appearance whilst at the same time transforming it into a multi-purpose space. The refurbishment work became necessary due to structural damage identified as early as 2020, which had compromised the building’s full usability. The project involves the adoption of passive energy strategies for the building’s climate control, integrated with an innovative photovoltaic system, a geothermal system, an air purification system using plants, and a water recovery and recycling system.

Photo credits: project of the new Greenhouse, official website of Roma Capitale