At the Pope's Garden

Today we made a trip out to the Popes garden located in the city of Castle Gondolfo. Previously it was only available to the Pope himself until Pope Francis opened the garden to the public two years ago, making us some of the few people that have visited so far. When we arrived at the garden you are overwhelmed by the amount of trees you see. Looking further into the distance you realize there is a fountain at the end that becomes the focal point of the entrance. But one thing that bothered me was that a lot of these trees were suffering from a disease that was hollowing out the entire tree. Walking around the garden we saw an old theater and an amazing irrigation system that once brought water from the lake all the way to garden. Above these water canals there were some mop top hydrangeas that were pink and blue. We learned that the color change is due to the PH in the soil and not actually a different type. Other elements that we got to see in the garden was symmetry and rhythm. The garden was an all-around amazing experience and was a very stunning place.

-Colton Bausch