Duration: 3 hours
Galleria Borghese, Villa Borghese
… For it is only in Rome one can duly prepare oneself for Rome.
Villa Borghese in the green lung of Rome, notable not only for its nature, but also for its architectural and artistic features, which bear witness to the legacy of one of the most powerful families in 16th-century Rome: the Borghese. Scipione Borghese conceived this park, the greatest ever made in urban Rome, as a ‘garden of delights’. Bautiful hidden corners, several statues and buildings of various sizes are scattered around the large area of the park. We will walk along the garden (Casino Borghese) and its marvelous waterworks, the Lake, the Water clock House, the Casina di Raffaello (Raphael’s little house), the Galoppatoio, the Casina Valadier and the Uccelliera (lit. aviary), up until the summit of the Pincian Hill on whose slopes part of the villa lies. The Casino Nobile features one of the most famous art galleries in the world, Galleria Borghese, housing a substantial number of sculptures by Bernini and paintings by Caravaggio. Among these masterpieces are Bernini’s sculptures Apollo and Daphne, the Rape of Proserpine, the David, Truth Unveiled by Time, as well as Raphael’s Deposition and his Portrait of Lady with a Unicorn; also, Caravaggio’s Madonna and Child with St. Anne, David with the head of Goliath, Young Sick Bacchus, the Boy with a Basket of Fruit; Titian’s Sacred and Profane Love, Domenichino’s Diana and her Nymphs, and the world-renown statue of Paolina Borghese by Antonio Canova.
I look forward to leading you along a walk through history, nature, archeology and art at its finest.