Roses in Rome

Rose delivery in Rome: varieties, Lazio's Mediterranean heat and logistics from Holland and Sanremo

Rome takes its time and loves beauty without fuss. The city stands on the Tiber, on its seven hills, and here the rose is part of an everyday gesture: a bouquet for dinner in Trastevere, flowers for a church, an arrangement for a hotel by the Spanish Steps. A Roman chooses a rose calmly, by eye — looking at the freshness of the bud, the scent, the way the bunch settles in the hand.

This category covers single-variety bouquets, mixed compositions, spray roses, market-style bunches in kraft and hat boxes. Formats run from a compact bunch of seven stems to a grand 51 or 101. Hotels, embassies and restaurants in the Centro Storico, Prati and Parioli tend to order boxes and larger designer arrangements.

Which varieties to choose

The main supply comes from Dutch glasshouses through the Royal FloraHolland auction in Aalsmeer, while part of the rose is Italian, from the Ligurian coast and the Sanremo market. Italy has long grown its own roses, so a Roman brings a familiar, quietly exacting eye to them. Here is the working breakdown.

• Freedom, Red Naomi — the red classic and the headline gift for San Valentino. Freedom is deep crimson with a dense head and 60–80 cm stems, lasting 10–14 days with care. Red Naomi is a velvety dark ruby with a softer petal. Both for romance and anniversaries.
• Avalanche+, Mondial — white and cream Dutch classics. A neutral base for mixed arrangements and wedding work. Avalanche+ holds its form 12–15 days in good conditions.
• Explorer, Pink Floyd — varieties with 80–100 cm stems and a large, dense head from Ecuadorian glasshouses. For large display bouquets, baskets and gifts for hotels and embassies.
• Sweet Avalanche, Quicksand — blush-pink and cream-beige nude tones. A calm palette for classic Roman living rooms.
• Garden roses (David Austin) — a cupped bud and a scent of myrrh and peach. For weddings and a heartfelt personal gift.
• Spray roses — several buds per stem, lighter and airier in composition. Good for everyday gifts and accent stems.

Occasions and stem counts

A single stem is a spare note of attention. Seven to nine stems is a romantic gift without theatrics. Twenty-five signals a proper celebration or declaration. Fifty-one and 101 are reserved for anniversaries, engagements and milestone dates.

Rome keeps no rigid colour rules, but the red rose belongs firmly to love, while the chrysanthemum is not given as a gift here — it is the flower of the Day of the Dead (Ognissanti). On Festa della Donna, 8 March, women are traditionally handed a sprig of mimosa, and a rose often accompanies the gesture. For the warm palettes of Roman interiors, white, cream and blush pink are the usual choice.

Freshness and logistics

Rome is supplied from two directions. Dutch lots from Aalsmeer arrive by air into Fiumicino (Leonardo da Vinci) and Ciampino, or by refrigerated road down the peninsula. Italian roses come up from the Ligurian coast — the Sanremo area, the historic "Riviera dei Fiori". The leg from the north to Rome is longer than Milan's, so the city leans more on air freight through Fiumicino. From cut to the recipient's door takes two to four days; cared for properly, the roses then last 10–14 days.

Quick air access to the Dutch hub gives Rome reliably fresh stock even at the peak of the season. Ecuadorian varieties add stem length and bud density to the range, achieved by the cold high-altitude climate of the plantations.

"Rome is heat and sun. From June to September the air is dry and hot, and now and then the scirocco blows in off Africa. In that sun a rose opens in a matter of hours if the bouquet has been left on the doorstep. So we carry it cool and ask people to put it in water straight away. The customer here is easygoing, but reads freshness and scent in an instant — they won't take a tired rose."

— Francesca Greco, florist, Rome, 16 years in the trade

Delivery specifics in Rome

Rome has a Mediterranean climate. Summer is hot and dry: +30 to +33 °C in July and August, climbing higher during scirocco heatwaves, with an aggressive sun. Winter is mild: +12 to +14 °C by day, frost rare and snow almost unheard of. The rainiest stretch is autumn, especially October and November. The main enemy for cut flowers here is summer heat and direct sun. In heat bouquets travel with cooling inserts and are delivered in the cooler hours. Spring and the milder part of autumn are the easiest seasons for roses.

We deliver roses across all districts of Rome: Centro Storico (Pantheon, Tridente), Trastevere, Monti, Prati, Testaccio, Parioli, Trieste, Salario, Nomentano, Esquilino, Flaminio, Ostiense, Garbatella, Aventino, Pigneto, San Lorenzo, EUR and Borgo. Payment is in euro (€, EUR). Peak dates: San Valentino (Valentine's Day, 14 February), Festa della Donna (8 March), Festa della Mamma (Mother's Day, the second Sunday of May), Natale (Christmas) and Pasqua (Easter). Red roses sell out fast for San Valentino — order a week ahead.

Home care

On arrival, re-cut the stems at 45° — ideally under water — and strip any leaves below the waterline to prevent rot. Place in a clean vase with cool water and a sachet of flower food or a pinch of sugar. Change the water every two days.

In a Rome flat the rose's main summer enemies are heat and sun. Keep the bouquet in the coolest part of the home, away from a south-facing window, the balcony door and the draught of the AC. Keep them away from bananas, apples and pears: the ethylene that ripe fruit emits shortens cut-flower life by around a third. Roses suit almost any occasion — message our team to match variety, colour and stem count to the occasion and budget.