Wildflower honey and extra virgin olive oil from Palatine Hill in Rome.

Rome is producing organic wildflower honey and extra virgin olive oil on the slopes of the Palatine Hill, as part of an experimental project organised by Parco Colosseo, the archaeological park incorporating the Colosseum, Palatine and Roman Forum.

The Ambrosia urban beekeeping project, launched in recent months, has so far produced 235 jars (14 kg) of 0-km honey courtesy of 60,000 bees at two hives on the southern slopes of the Palatine hill, near the Temple of Magna Mater.

The area, inaccessible to the public, is rich in wildflowers and ancient Mediterranean vegetation, as described by Pliny the Elder in Naturalis Historia.

The Ambrosia logo was designed by the Roman cartoonist and illustrator Lorenzo Ceccotti, aka LRNZ, who was inspired by the ancient design of a mosaic floor of the House of Griffins on the Palatine.

In addition to honey, Parco Colosseo has bottled 120 litres of extra virgin olive oil from the 200 olive trees grow on the Palatino.

The aim of the initiative is to "enhance the role that agriculture had in antiquity and which was the basis of the material and ethical wealth of the Romans," said the Parco Colosseo director Alfonsina Russo.

Photo PlanetWare