Today we would return to Rome. We were on a 7-8-9 schedule: awake at 7, breakfast at 8, departure at 9. Our bus took us through the breathtaking landscapes of Tuscany: rolling hills, cypress trees, vineyards, and medieval towns. As we reached Rome, some of our friends left the bus to see a few of the city’s most famous sights, including the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. Having seen them before, we had planned a different destination: the Galleria Borghese.
From Google: “The Galleria Borghese is an exquisite art museum in Rome, housed within the lavish 17th-century Villa Borghese, showcasing Cardinal Scipione Borghese’s incredible collection of Renaissance and Baroque masterpieces, especially stunning sculptures by Bernini (like Apollo and Daphne) and paintings by Caravaggio, Raphael, and Titian, all set within a beautiful Baroque building with ornate frescoes and stucco, offering a concentrated, awe-inspiring experience of Italian art history. ” We had made reservations several months in advance.
First we decided to have a quick lunch, and a pizzeria near our hotel fit the bill. We chose pizza with mozzarella and spinach, and it was the tastiest pizza that we had in Italy. A charming young couple next to us began to chat with us. They had just arrived in Rome, and were planning to enter the Holy Doors. We so enjoyed meeting them.
Our appointed time to enter the Borghese was approaching, so we grabbed a taxi. The museum has two floors, the upper floor mainly for paintings and the lower, mainly for sculpture. We were allotted two hours with our guide, but he knew so much about every piece of art that we could have spent many more than two hours on each floor. Rick Steves says that the Borghese is his favorite small museum in Italy, and it is no wonder that he returns as often as he can. It was an amazing experience.
There were so many paintings that they didn’t have room to display all of them.
Rain was falling at our departure time. While wailing for a taxi, a teenager in the family next to us was sketching what he had seen. Such talent!Our final dinner together was lasagna, a green salad, and saltimbocca made of pork and veal. For dessert, we enjoyed panna cotta with chocolate sauce. Nick was so tired that he was practically asleep at the dinner table, and we had packing ahead of us before tomorrow’s departure.
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What an astounding collection!! In ‘87 I wish I had been aware of the Borghese when i accompanied my mother to a family wedding in Rome. She had never been and I was happy to revisit the more common tourist attractions with her. Had I known about the Galleria, it would’ve been top of the list for me. The one day solo excursion I did take was of my own design: to see as many of Bernini’s stunning sculptures and statutes that made up nearly every fountain in each square and intersection of the streets of Rome. His body of work is overwhelming! I will not miss this museum when Tony and I visit it together! Thanks for the heads up!
We also enjoyed the Borghese when we were in Rome.
We saw the President of Italy (he had just been voted out of office) while there!
Thanks for a lovely tour of the Borghese!
Amazing pictures!