The Borghese Villa

The Borghese Gallery plays an important role in the history of Rome, it was the first gallery of a private collection to be opened to the public. It’s collection, rich in paintings, sculptures, bas-reliefs and mosaics, is housed in the 17th century villa (or country hunting lodge) of the Borghese family, built by the architects Flaminio Ponzio and Vasanzio in the green space of the Pincian hill.

The Cardinal Scipione

The Villa’s construction, started at the beginning of the 17th century, was the project of the nephew of Pope Paul V Borghese, Cardinal Scipione. One of the most powerful men of the time, he was famous for his political and diplomatic skills but also for a strong interest in the arts that would allow him to accumulate extraordinary masterpieces and to find an exceptional interpreter of his love for beauty: Gian Lorenzo Bernini

The Collection

The collection still has the ability to marvel visitors through the dialogue between sculptures and reliefs of ancient art, for example with the extraordinary works of Bernini such as Apollo and Daphne, the Rape of Proserpine and David. We will remain enchanted in front of paintings by Caravaggio, Antonello da Messina, Titian and Rafael, to name just a few. But also by the famous Pauline Borghese, masterpiece of Canova, a seductive manifesto of neoclassicism. This variety confirms Scipio’s ability to recognize beauty and makes this Gallery a treasure trove of Roman, Renaissance and Baroque Italian art, and a unique and unmissable museum.