Romeral de San Marcos

Romeral de San Marcos is a small but botanically dense garden in Segovia, spread across a steep slope right below the walls of the Alcázar, near the bridge over the Clamores river, on Calleja Marqués de Villena. Easy to miss if you stick to the main tourist route, it's a place that rewards a dedicated visit — especially for anyone interested in gardening and landscape architecture.

Who created this garden?

The Romeral de San Marcos was the work of Uruguayan landscape architect Leandro Silva Delgado (1930–2000). By the time he started this project, Silva already had a substantial professional career behind him — he took part in the restoration of the Real Jardín Botánico in Madrid and taught at the Castillo de Batres school — but this private garden in Segovia became his most personal and experimental creation. He began working on it in 1973 and continued for the next three decades, until his death in 2000, constantly bringing in and acclimating plants from around the world.

What makes this garden unusual?

The secret behind Romeral de San Marcos lies in its microclimate. Despite the steep terrain, the site is sheltered from northern winds by a formation of limestone rocks, which allowed Silva to introduce more than 300 plant species from very different climate zones — species that would have no chance of surviving on the open Castilian plateau under normal conditions. Silva had a particular passion for irises and built up a substantial collection, which led to the mid-May Fiesta del Lirio (Iris Festival), gathering specialists and gardening enthusiasts.

For years the garden functioned as an almost private space, maintained by the Asociación Amigos del Romeral de San Marcos — an association founded by Silva himself to preserve his legacy after his death.

What visiting the garden looks like today

Since July 1, 2023, management of visits has been taken over by Turismo de Segovia, the city's tourism body, under an agreement designed to make this intimate cultural space more accessible, both for self-guided and guided visits. A standard walk through the garden takes about 45 minutes and leads visitors through successive terraces of vegetation arranged along the slope.

Despite the change in management, the garden keeps up several traditional events held here for years — alongside the Iris Festival, there's also the Night of the Butterflies (Noche de las Mariposas), which draws visitors in the evening hours.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Romeral de San Marcos located? At the foot of the Alcázar in Segovia, on Calleja Marqués de Villena, close to the Castilian bridge over the Clamores river.

How long does a visit take? A standard visit takes about 45 minutes, and the garden can be visited either self-guided or with a guide.

Who manages the garden today? Since July 2023, visits have been managed by Turismo de Segovia under an agreement with the organization that cares for the garden.

What sets this garden apart from other Segovia attractions? It's not a historical monument in the classic sense, but a 20th-century work of landscape architecture — an experimental botanical garden created by a single designer over thirty years, built around the site's unique microclimate.