I usually don’t want to get into recommending when to see something when in a particular city but in this case I’ll make an exception. On my last trip to Rome a friend recommended that I go to the Borghese Gallery. I would recommend that you go here before seeing anything else in Rome. The Borghese Gallery is one of the top museums in Rome. The museum is housed in the beautiful Villa Borghese mansion in the Borghese Gardens on the Pincio Hill and contains marble sculptures by Bernini among other works of art. It is a large museum, three floors, and in a park in Rome. They only allow so many people in the gallery at a time in blocks. When you buy tickets it is for a block of time and when it is time for your block they let you in to walk the three floors and enjoy the art during your allotted time. At the end of your block they clear the gallery and then let the next block in. That way you get to enjoy the art and not fight huge crowds. The blocks tend to fill up and if you don’t have a reservation you probably won’t get in. I would suggest buying your tickets before you leave home and print them off. This is true for most museums in Italy. It is easy to exchange the printed copies for the real tickets.
Arts patron Cardinal Scipione Borghese, who was the nephew of Pope Paul V, commissioned the building of the Villa Borghese and its lush surrounding gardens from 1613-1616. Borghese used the villa as a home for entertaining as well as a place to display his growing art collection. The Cardinal collected antiquities and was among the first patrons of Baroque sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini. Bernini happens to be my favorite artist.
The Bernini sculptures that are in the Museo Borghese collection are some of his best works. They include "Apollo and Daphne," a stunning piece that conveys movement in marble, and "The Rape of Proserpina," an equally stunning composition in which Bernini managed to make marble appear as supple as skin. Bernini also sculpted a "David," the face of which was modeled on his own. “The Rape of Proserpina” happens to be my favorite. The statue is so lifelike from the hand prints on her thighs to the tears coming down her cheeks it is one of the most lifelike statues I have ever seen.
Other works of art in the Museo Borghese include a reclining statue of Paolina Borghese by Antonio Canova; the "Sleeping Hermaphrodite," a Roman bronze from 150 BC, and Roman mosaics from the 4th century. On the upper floor, which is often referred to by the name Galleria Borghese (the Borghese Gallery), visitors will find paintings by Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, Rubens, and other notable names from the Renaissance. The painting gallery also contains a couple of self-portraits by Bernini.
Now why would I recommend that you see this first? Bernini had such an influence in Rome that you will see his works in almost every area of Rome. There are the fountains in Piazza Navona, Statues in St. Peters Square and statues and fountains at various other areas around Rome. After seeing the Borghese Gallery I would then recommend taking the hop-on/hop-off bus tour. As you ride around Rome the guide will mention the various fountains and statues you will see. After seeing the gallery you will have a better understanding of what you are seeing.
I would also recommend doing a lot of research before you go to Rome on the various artists and their works. It will make the trip a lot more interesting when you understand what you are looking at.
In future posts I will go into more detail on the specific areas of Rome and the history behind it.
To book a reservation at the Borghese Gallery please go to their site.
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