Villa Borghese, Rome

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One of Rome's grandest palaces, Palazzo Borghese belonged to the Borghese family. The palace was originally built in 1560 by the architects Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola and Martino Longhi il Vecchio for the Spanish cardinal Dezza. It was purchased in 1596 by cardinal Camillo Borghese, future Pope Paul V, along with a few adjacent buildings. The future Pope enlarged the palace for his family and employed the architect Flaminio Ponzio for the project. Other renowned architects, such as Carlo Rainaldi, also worked on future projects to enlarge or decorate the palace. The most notable features are its courtyard with its arched porticoes and the nymphaeum. Up until 1891, the palazzo housed the family's incredible collection of European art, which was subsequently transferred to Villa Borghese where it is now on display for the public. The Borghese family still resides in their palazzo, but parts of it have been rented out to various entities, such as il Circolo della Caccia (a private club) and the Spanish embassy. Unfortunately, it is not possible to visit the interior.

Located in northwest Rome, this elegant villa dating to the 17th and 18th Centuries is home to one of the finest art collections anywhere. The first floor is devoted to sculpture, both classical and later. Masterworks by artists such as Bernini and Canova are on display. Most notably the spectacular Pauline Borghese by Canova. The upstairs is devoted to paintings and has masterpieces by such artist as Raphael, Carravagio and Ruebens.

Bags and cameras must be checked and reservations are mandatory. A maximum of 2 hours is allotted for each entry. Though 45 minutes to an hour is enough for most. A cafe is on the premises also.

The museum is located with the aptly named Borghese Gardens, named for the famous family bearing that name. There are wide lawns, walking paths and numerous benches. All making for an enjoyable and relaxing escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

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Imagine a lovely ride in a row-boat on a peaceful lake in the center of Rome! This serene lake in Villa Borghese will take you into a living Monet painting - lush greenery, swans, small row boats seek out little hidden nooks around the lake and the center-piece Tempio di Esculapio. Villa Borghese is an oasis of peaceful serenity in the center of Rome - my favorite get-away. As you stroll through the gardens, paths and, especially the lake - there is a sense of simplicity and calm that will slow your pace.
Photo 1 - Full View Lake
Photo 2 - Swan & boat explore the Lake
Photo 3 - Close-up Tempio di Esculpio
Photo 4 - Hidden nook in the Lake
Photo 5 - Rear walkway behind Tempio di Esculpio
Don't miss the Casina del Lago - restored to house a new charming cafe - right close by the lake amidst the garden on the left. New VT restaurant tip just added.

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A species of pine native to Southern Europe in the Mediterranean region, the Italian Stone Pine, commonly called the Umbrella Pine, has been cultivated for its edible pine nuts since prehistoric times. It has a widespread use as a horticultural tree, too. The Umbrella Pine can grow to heights exceeding 82 feet; but the average is height is 35 to 65 feet.

The reason for its more popular name is clear; the characteristic smooth, round, umbrella-like crown is made up of flexible, needle-like leaves that have a mid-green color. Its edible seeds have been the chief reason for its cultivation for at least 6,000 years, even being used for trade since early-recorded history.

Although its original range included Spain, Portugal and North Africa, I associate it with Italy and Rome. I know I am in Rome when I see these trees. There is an outstanding example on the Palatine Hill (see photo #4); standing alone with little around it, this tree suits its majestic setting. It can thrive in California, Australia, and Western Europe, as far as north southern Scotland. On America’s East Coast, it can survive as far north as New Jersey; however, there is danger that significant damage to its evergreen leaves will result in the winter when planted that far north.

This tree has been celebrated in music. Pini di Roma, the Pines of Rome, is a 1924 symphonic tone poem by Italian composer Ottorino Respighi. It is one work in Respighi’s Roman Trilogy, which includes Feste Romane and Fontane di Roma. Each movement portrays the location of pine trees in the city during different parts of the day. First performed under the baton of Bernardino Molinari in the Augusteo, Rome, on 14.December.1924.

Scientific classification—Kingdom: Plantae; Division: Pinophyta; Class: Pinopsida; Order: Pinales; Family: Pinaceae; Genus: Pinus; Subgenus: Pinus; Species: P. pinea

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I highly recommend the Borghese Museum and surrounding park, although we had very little time to explore the park due to the onset of night. We were able to walk here from our hotel and did so late in the afternoon of our arrival in Rome. It was nice way to begin our week.

We purchased our Roma Passes here. Rick Steves recommends making reservations up to a week in advance; however, we arrived about an hour early and had no trouble buying tickets. That might not be wise in the summer though. Even with tickets, you must arrive at least a half hour in advance.

The beautiful sculptures and paintings were almost too much to behold all at once. Overwhelming to the senses, but a good primer for the week that lay ahead (i.e. Vatican Museum, Colosseum, etc...).

A fellow VT'r also recommended going to the Etruscan Museum, which is very close to the Borghese Museum, but unfortunately we ran out of time that day and did not get back to this area.

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It was our last day,and we were so tired after two weeks of walking so much every day(and it had been +37to +39c all time-witch I usually love,but when we were so tired,it made us lazy).So even if we usually walk in how hot ever weather and long walks,now we were feeling lazy.So we went her,and only walked very slowly-we even sit 15min on bench-witch we harly ever do at our hollidays.We were planning to go to zoo,but it was quite expensive,and we had seen so much oos around the Europe,that we forgot it.
The air also felt cleaner here,and they rented some kind of bike-cars.We actually saw one accident done by it.No-one got hurt badly,but old man had broken bike,when young boys drove straight throug him.

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Giardini Segreti (Secret Gardens) are part of Villa Borghese, they are called "secret" because they were private and for exclusive use of the owner. Usually, they are closed for public, but last Saturday we were lucky to enter and see them thanks to the Culture Week in Rome (25- 31 March) and the tour “Visita guidata ai Giardini Segreti del Principe”.

The Secret Gardens are located right close to Galleria Borghese, the first one was created around the end of XV century and is called "The Garden of Bitter Oranges" (in Italian "dei melangoli" o "aranci amari"). The second one, the beginning of XVI, is called The Flower Garden (dei fiori) and besides beautiful flowers there is unique building of aviary.
The third one was built around 1680 and on one of its end there is Casino della Meridiana, the building which used to be a snack spot back in XVII ("la casina delle delizie").
The gardens surely are worth your visit while you will be in Villa Borghese and even though they are usually closed you can see a lot thru the fence.

One of the best sculptures I've seen was in this museum, worth every euro I spent. The display is great, the villa itself is a very handsome building too, and the immence park surrounding it gives you the impression that you somehow managed to escape the city. Cons: time in the museum is limited as I remember to 2 hours (am I correct?), you need to pre-book by phone, and the queue to get tickets and then the time you have to wait to get inside is quite too long (considering pre-booking). But otherwise it's a perfect place to chill out.