Villa Borghese: An Idyllic Museum Park

Larger than life: Art that inspires us through the ages

Villa Borghese is also known as the Villa Pinciana, and is the third largest public park in Rome at 198 acres. Unlike other Renaissance villas, the park is the main attraction and the buildings support the beauty of the garden landscape. Here, a side view of the facade of the Galleria graces just one part of the estate’s English gardens. BGStock72/Shutterstock

In the heart of a bustling city, one can often long for a moment of peace. The large public park in central Rome, known as the Villa Borghese, or museum park, is such a perfect sanctuary. Combining Italian art and nature, this open-air museum is the perfect place to replenish one’s soul.

Located north of the steep slopes of the Spanish Steps, the Villa Borghese features gardens, museums, and diverse attractions, including an artificial island with a temple. Original fountains, sculptures, and Neoclassical and 19th-century buildings combine to form a picturesque space in which one can admire the best of Italian art.

Before it became one of the most attractive parks in Europe, the villa belonged to the Borghese family. In 1605, Cardinal Scipione Borghese transformed a vineyard into the most extensive gardens built in the city since Roman times. The villa was meant to showcase the prestige of his family and house the cardinal’s impressive Roman, Renaissance, and Baroque art collection.

Scipione’s art collection is on display in the Galleria Borghese, located in the park. Architects Flaminio Ponzio and Giovanni Vasanzio designed the art gallery in a Renaissance style with a return to classical structures. This is noticeable in the building’s facade, adorned with antique sculptures in the Mannerist style, an extension of the Renaissance style. The interior is as magnificent as the exterior, covered in Roman marble and filled with art, including several masterpieces by Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Other architectural highlights include the Casina di Raffaello and the Casina Valadier, Neoclassical buildings adorned with Pompeian-style frescos. As such, the Villa Borghese combines the three classical arts (architecture, painting, and sculpture) with nature, giving it an idyllic character.

Set on an idyllic lake on an artificial island, the temple of Asclepius (the Greek god of medicine) showcases the classical architecture with its columns and pediment. Built in 1786 by Antonio Asprucci and his son Mario Asprucci, the temple is thought to be in memory of the ancient temple of Asclepius on Tiber Island. At the time, reproductions of ancient temples were a common decorative landscape feature. Elena Popovich/Shutterstock

Based on classical models, the temple of Diana was built by Antonio Asprucci in 1789. This small circular temple is in the Neoclassical style, a style characterized by its use of simple geometric forms, inspired by the classical style. A series of steps around the structure leads to the interior. Marco Rubio/Shutterstock

Surprisingly, the garden hosts a replica of Shakespeare’s open-air Elizabethan theater, The Globe. This aerial view shows the structure as an example of Renaissance architecture. The theater offers productions from June through October. Stefano Tammaro/Shutterstock

Fountains grace many areas of the park with classical decorations and carvings in stucco. Mythological gods and sea creatures adorn the water features. As seen here at the center of four tree-lined avenues is the seahorse fountain. With bodies shaped like fish, the seahorses hold the fountain on their heads. Irisphoto1/Shutterstock

Another beautiful fountain set in a shaded square shows a woman and Moses in the bulrushes, where he was found and saved. Marco Rubino/Shutterstock

Turtles move in and out of the many fountains. Marine creatures are a part of the gardens, and several fountains, such as these with stone sea turtles, spout water. Jolanta Wojcicki/Shutterstock

The entrance facade of the Galleria Borghese, located on the Pincian Hill, shines in white stucco. A U-shaped structure with side wings, a central portico topped with a terrace, and topped with antique sculptures, the Galleria is known for its outstanding collection of Italian Baroque paintings and Renaissance sculptures, highlighted by sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. vasili1/Shutterstock

In this room in the Galleria is Bernini’s sculptural interpretation of David as he prepares to face Goliath. Here, no space is left undecorated: Mirrors, sculptures, and fine cabinet work embellish the space. The intricately painted walls in soft gold, white, and gray provide the perfect backdrop to the sculptural masterpiece. Multicolored Roman marble adorns the walls; the floors are set in polychromed marble inlays. vasili l/Shutterstock

This Victorian clock exemplifies the originality of Villa Borghese. Located not far from the temple of Asclepius, this fascinating Victorian “hydrochronometer” (water clock) was built in 1867 by Giovanni Battista Embriaco for the 1867 Paris Universal Exposition. In 1873, the clock was placed in the Villa Borghese into a fountain designed by architect Gioacchino Ersoch. Silga Belte/Shutterstock