In Rome, a nursery transforms into a cocktail bar for the whole summer (with tapas and music)
Flor de Maga is the new cocktail bar inside a garden center in Rome's Marconi neighborhood: a summer pop-up with tapas, live music, and wines and drinks surrounded by greenery.
In recent years, summer venues in Rome have increasingly become less traditional venues and more spaces that, in the warmer months, take on a different function than they were originally intended. Courtyards, gardens, greenhouses, markets, and now even a plant nursery. This is happening in Marconi, where Fleur Garden, a historic garden center, is opening after dark this summer, transforming into Flor de Maga, a pop-up cocktail bar that will remain open until October.
A new cocktail bar inside a Rome nursery, surrounded by plants and bamboo.
The project was born from the meeting of three Roman businesses with very different backgrounds. On one side is Marco Pelliccia, the third generation of the family to lead Fleur Garden, which recently renovated its Viale Marconi location. On the other are Daniele Fadda, formerly behind Santo Trastevere and Spirito Santo gin, and Elisa Bonafede, founder of Niji (here's our article). Together, they imagined a format that seeks to leverage the nursery's context without distorting it: during the day, the space continues to operate, while from Wednesday to Sunday, starting at 6 pm, a counter, tables, and kitchen are added.
Flor de Maga is a space nestled among bamboo, ferns, palms, and other plants already present in the nursery. Rather than introducing large-scale installations, the project utilizes what already exists, allowing the greenery to define much of the space's identity. The rest is provided by a musical program that alternates DJ sets and live concerts, and an aesthetic inspired by tropical landscapes.
What to eat and drink at Flor de Maga in Rome
The cocktail menu revolves around five signature cocktails that reinterpret some of the great classics of mixology. The names are inspired by Santeria, the Afro-Cuban cult born from the fusion of African traditions and Catholicism, but the work remains rooted in recognizable drinks: there's a twist on the Caipirinha with mango, a reinterpretation of the Gin Fizz made with Spirito Santo Gin, a summery version of the Paloma, as well as creations that play with cucumber, cardamom, and botanicals.
The cuisine accompanies the drinks with a simple formula. The menu offers tapas and quick dishes such as maritozzo with pulled pork (7 euros), seafood catalana (7), tacos (8), brioche bread with butter, anchovies, lemon and mint (7), platters of cold cuts and cheeses (10-18), chickpea hummus (6) and caponata (6).
Flor de Maga (inside the Fleur Garden nursery). Viale Guglielmo Marconi 698, Rome. Tel. 334 2954753. Instagram. Open Wednesday through Sunday from 6:00 PM to 1:00 AM.
