The Geogarden of the University Roma Tre: creation of a prototype of a Geological Garden of Lazio for the dissemination of Geological Sciences in Rome

Between 2017 and 2019, a prototype of a geological garden for the dissemination of Geological Sciences to the general public was created in the open-air spaces of the Department of Sciences of the Roma Tre University. This first nucleus is the result of a Citizen Science activity carried out by students of the High Schools of Rome and its province, conceived and guided by a group of University researchers and high school teachers, in collaboration with local institutions and some mining companies operating in the surroundings of Rome. Currently the prototype consists of six large rock samples representative of lithotypes cropping out in the Roman Campaign and in the nearby Central Apennines that allow to tell the evolution of the territory surrounding the city of Rome since about 15 Ma ago, with particular reference to the history of the Roman countryside in the Quaternary period. Guided tours for schools and a general public and events popularizing scientific culture at various scales have represented the main dissemination activities carried out so far. Currently the garden is being expanded and integrated with numerous plant species representative of the botanical heritage of the Lazio region.