The ARRM1 campus is located in the Sabine countryside and overlooks the Tiber Valley, about 50 m above sea level. It has a quadrangular shape and extends in the W-E direction from the Salaria road (Km 29.300) to Via dei Pini, and in the S-N direction from the Provincial Road 35d to Fosso Sferracavallo, and is immersed in the middle of the countryside. The total area is almost 90 hectares and is crossed by the FL1 Orte – Fiumicino Airport railway line.

Geologically, the substrate of the campus consists of Pleistocene (Quaternary) sandy-clay sediments, and the north-south oriented ridge is characterized by a series of lithic tuffs (tufi litoidi) about 10 m thick.

The buildings and the roads connecting them occupy less than half of the available area, leaving ample space for nature.

The vegetation consists mainly of plants typical of the Mediterranean climate. The meadows and glades are characterized by grasses, alfalfa and other wild plants. There are many shrub and tree species, including: laurel, hawthorn, strawberry tree, field elm, oak, holm oak, turkey oak, field maple, olive, poplar, common walnut, linden, and maritime pine. There is no shortage of fruit plants, including cherry trees, Japan loquats, apricot trees, and plum trees. In addition to the above there are also several allochthonous tree species, that is, those that are not part of the Italian flora, including: mimosa, robinia, paulonia, eucalyptus, ailanthus, and various conifer species. A large reforestation project was carried out in 2022, Progetto Ossigeno (the Oxygen project)was funded by the Lazio Region, and involved the planting of about 1,500 shrub and tree essences, chosen from the most suitable species chosen by climate and geographic areas, to cover most of the open areas. With Progetto Ossigeno (the Oxygen project), the reforestation was implemented. Botanical garden, which entered the implementation phase from March 2020, with the creation of a Mediterranean vegetation sector, a scientific historical rose garden and an orto dei semplici (a Kitchen Garden). Through another project inaugurated during the centennial of the CNR, il Respiro del Futuro (the Breath of the Future), 20 trees kindly provided by the Carabinieri Corps were planted, plus another 50 or so plants provided by the AzzeroCO2 company as part of a project funded by Crai.

Regarding the animal component, the avifauna is well represented and studied, and is the subject of a beautiful publication that is the first issue of a series dedicated to biodiversity in the area, Quaderni naturalistici (Naturalistic Notebooks). The following are mentioned merely as examples: bee-eater, great white heron, great egret, hen harrier, great spotted owl, great spotted woodpecker and several species of passerine groups. Amphibians on the campus include the common toad and green frog, while reptiles such as the common gecko, lizard, and several species of lizards and snakes are also present. The ARRM1 campus is regularly visited by macro-mammals, specifically porcupines, hedgehogs, roe deer, wild boars, badgers, foxes and wolves. The data on micro-mammals are almost completely absent, even though they are certainly present no census has been conducted. Finally, a rich variety of insects and spiders populate the diverse environments in the area, necessitating dedicated studies.