Hanami, or 花見, meaning, "flower viewing," is a traditional Japanese custom of enjoying the transient nature, and beauty, of flowers and is used to refer to appreciation of cherry blossom trees and plum blossom trees, although it most commonly suggests celebrations surrounding the blooming of cherry blossoms today. In contemporary Japan, hanami largely consists of outdoor parties and picnics that take place beneath the sakura during daytime or at night. As the blossoms only last for a week or two once they have bloomed the careful watching and waiting for them is a major preoccupation in Japan with the weather bureau announcing a blossom forecast between March and early May when the trees flower in different parts of the country. This has become harder to predict in recent years due to the effects of global warming but has become even more crucial to get right as millions of Japanese people and thousands of international tourists both descend upon the cherry blossom hot spots around the country each year and it acts as a major tourism boost for the country. While it might not quite boast the visual explosion of the hanami experience in Japan where there are thousands upon thousands of cherry blossom trees in various cities, towns, and countryside areas, Rome does actually have a well-established celebration of these beautiful blooms of its own each year and a wealth of cherry blossoms trees. So, if you want to experience a little slice of Japan and the beauty of these blooms while also enjoying everything that a spring getaway in Rome has to offer then browse our luxury villas in Rome and get planning your trip!
You may be asking yourself, however, why does Rome have a hanami celebration each spring? Well, it is due to the thousands of cherry blossom trees in the Parco Centrale del Lago, also known informally as the Parco Lago dell'EUR. This park and area of greenery in Rome is home to an artificial basin (the, “lake,” for which it is named) and is located in the EUR district of the city. It is also home to over 2,500 cherry blossom trees, which were donated in 1959 by the Japanese prime minister during a diplomatic visit as a sign of friendship between Italy and Japan, a year before Italy was set to host the summer Olympics in 1960. The ceremony took place on the Passeggiata del Giappone (Japan Walkway), which was designed by Raffaele de Vico. It is in this section of the Parco Centrale del Lago that you will find the majority of the cherry blossoms and where you will encounter people having picnics, people walking around in traditional Japanese clothing, endless groups of people trying to get the perfect photo, fun, celebrations, and more. Visitors can readily bring along picnics of their own, pick up some snacks in local Japanese restaurants, grab coffee and simply enjoy the views, stroll along amongst the beautiful trees, and get some incredibly pretty commemorative photos of their own.
Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, you have no excuse not to visit if you have found a luxury villa in Rome and are planning to be in the city around April (the beginning of the month is when the trees have started blooming in recent years). Just hop on the metro and get off at stops EUR Palasport or EUR Fermi (just a few stops from St Paul's Cathdral) and you'll be able to get there without any real fuss or problem at all. Enjoy the beauty of this place and the wonderful and charming coming together of Italian and Japanese culture in Italy!