Villa Borghese In A Day: Best Things to Do

The most sophisticated urban park in Rome is Villa Borghese. An elegant combination of green getaway, outdoor museum and cultural complex in a nutshell. This is in contrast to the busy historic core of the city; the huge park promises the viewer a more relaxed pacing: shaded lanes, global art collections, panoramic vistas, and numerous places to simply rest and chill out. It is the addition to a one-day itinerary of Rome that one needs, particularly when one is in need of a balance between both culture and rest.

Map

History

Villa Borghese was an original play-ground belonging to one of the richest families of Rome. At the beginning of the 17 th century, Cardinal Scipione Borghese nephew of Pope Paul V, a keen art collector, changed his former vineyard into a luxurious pleasure garden. His ideal was immense: an estate, where were sculptures, fountains, rare plants, and later one of the best collections of art in Europe. The gardens were made in the romantic style of the English landscape park with meandering paths, secret groves and well calculated views.

Villa Borghese is an aristocratic estate which was open only to the family of Borghese and their special visitors throughout centuries. This has changed in 1903 when the estate was purchased by the Italian state and opened to people. The park today covers the area of approximately 80 hectares and accommodates some of the most valuable cultural statures in Rome such as the Borghese Gallery, the National Gallery of Modern Art, and even a small zoo.

Things to Do

Borghese Gallery

The day begins with the masterpiece of Villa Borghese: the Borghese Gallery. It is a small museum with one of the most spectacular collections of the art in the world that is owned privately and includes works by Bernini, Caravaggio, Raphael, and Titian. Such works of Bernini as Apollo and Daphne in particular are wonderful in the actual sense of this word, they depict motion and feeling in marble with unbelievable dexterity.

Gardens and Historic Paths

Villa Borghese is intersected with trees, groves, and open fields with the sculptures and the fountains. Seek out benches concealed within plants, neoclassical statues sticking out of the vegetation and where locals sit and read a book. The park is designed in such a way that you should take time and explore the park, so enjoy the absence of hurry.

Family of Pincian hill

Go to the western side of the park, to the Pincian Hill terrace, where one of the best panoramic points of Rome is. Here you will be gazing out of Piazza del Popolo, and the roofs of the old centre, and recognise in the distance the dome of St. Peter on sunny days. The terrace is particularly beautiful during sunset time when the light becomes golden and the crowds get smaller.

Temple of Aesculapius

Among the most photographed places of Villa Borghese is the Temple of Aesculapius, and with reason. The temple is a graceful neoclassical structure that was erected on a tiny island in the centre of the artificial lake in the park with greeneries and reflections. It’s not an ancient ruin. It was constructed in the 18 th century as romantic folly. But it is undoubtedly picturesque.

Nearby Attractions

Piazza del Popolo
Quit the park by the Pincian hill terrace, and drop down into this magnificent, symmetrical square. It immediately leads to the twin baroque churches, the Egyptian obelisk, the cafes of the piazza. It is also the northern access to Via del Corso, the major shopping street of Rome.

Spanish Steps
The Spanish Steps are one of the most common sites in Rome and are a walkable distance off Villa Borghese. The space surrounding the steps is crowded with luxurious boutiques, ice cream salons and charisma. Go at the end of the afternoon when the crowds are not so bad.

Via del Corso
This is a busy street that leads directly to the Piazza del Popolo to the Piazza Venezia passing through the center of the Rome shopping business area. It is paved with global names, local businesses and there is lots of people-watching to be done there.

Trevi Fountain
The Trevi Fountain is among the most renowned places in Rome and it is even more enchanted to visit it during the early evening when it is illuminated. Flip a coin, take a picture and watch the show.

How to Get There

• Metro
  Spagna (Line A): The closest one to the entrance of the Pincian Hill and the south east of the park. Also near the Spanish Steps.
  Flaminio (Line A): Suited best to the entrance to the Piazza del Popolo, and on the northwestern side of the park.
• Bus
  A number of bus lines serve entrances of Villa Borghese:
  The routes such as route 52 and route 53 are effective when traveling to the area of the Borghese Gallery.
• Tram
  Tram 2: Serves Flaminio to which it is a short walk to the entrance of the Piazza del Popolo.

FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions