The Italian Rose Association was founded in 1963 by Eng. Niso Fumagalli with the aim of promoting the passion for the rose and to create a rose garden where to host annual competitions.
In 1965 the Association obtained a concession from the Municipality of the abandoned area in front of the greenhouses, in the complex of the Royal Villa of Monza and the Rose Garden was then created on a project by the architects Francesco Clerici and Vittorio Faglia.
In 1992 the Municipality named the Rose Garden after Eng. Niso Fumagalli.
The Roseto covers an area of 10500 square meters and has an approximately square shape. Its entrance is located on the left of the forecourt of Villa Reale and through the central pathway you enter the Serrone which today is home to frequent events and exhibitions.
The Rose Garden mainly hosts modern roses that participated in the Monza International Trials held from 1965 until 2015. There is also a fair collection of ancient roses in the bands to the left and right of the entrance, some others are along the privet hedge, along the walkway on the pond and in the Secret Garden of Perfume.
The construction of the rose garden was completed in 1969 and in 1970 the official grand opening could take place in the presence of an exceptional lady hostess, Princess Grace of Monaco who, despite the bad weather of the previous days, was able to see the rose garden in all its beauty.
The participation of Princess Grace of Monaco was an important event for the city of Monza which fostered the international fame of the Italian Rose Association.
Subsequently, under the presidency of Mrs. Ester Fumagalli and with the collaboration of Anna Furlani Pedoja, landscape architect and councilor of the Association, various elements were introduced into the rose garden contributing to give more movement to its structure and other interesting areas were created, as for exemple The Secret Garden of Perfumes and the pergola for a nice shady rest.
Hosting the Rose Garden is a source of pride for the city of Monza, because it represents a heritage of refined culture and an incentive to love of beauty. And one more reason to be proud of it is the recognition given to it by the World Federation of Rose Societies in July 2003, during the 13th World Rose Convention: the "Award of Garden Excellence". The plaque is located on the left just after the entrance to the Rose Garden, surrounded by the roses "Niso Fumagalli".
Monza International Trials were the first to establish a specific prize for the most fragrant rose, to stimulate the attention of the breeders of new varieties to the development of this indisputable value of the rose, a feature that was disappearing in modern roses. It was therefore decided to assign the most important prize to the winner: the reproduction in reduced form, in gold and gems, of the crown of Queen Teodolinda, a famous relic of very high historical and artistic value dating back to the 6th century and kept in the museum of the Duomo of Monza.
Monza Trials were part of an international circuit of competitions for new roses. The breeders present their creations in all the main competitions both to verify how the new varieties behave in different latitudes and climatic conditions, and to evaluate the reactions of the public of different nationalities.
The Rose Garden, with the exception of lockdown periods due to Covid19, is open for free all year round from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 19:00.
The tour of the Rose Garden begins by following the path to the right of the entrance.