Villa Borghese

Seen from above it reminds of the shape of a heart, maybe that's why Villa Borghese is the most beloved by Romans? 

DISCOVER ALL THE TOURS OF VILLA BORGHESE

Easy to reach by public transports, it is located right in the middle of Piazzale Flaminio, Porta Pinciana and the Salario neighbourhood. Greenery, art and entertainment in 80 hectares in the heart of Rome: don't miss this wonder!

A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY

Villa Borghese was born between the end of the sixteenth century and the begining  of the seventeenth century when Pope Paul VI, choosing as cardinal his nephew Scipione, posed a condition: building the most luxurious and magnificient  aristocratic abode in Rome creating a "villa of joy and the widest Roman garden". So was born Villa Borghese:

"villa of joy and the widest Roman garden" Pope Paul VI

The works were lead by the architecta Flaminio Ponzio and Giovanni Vasanzio. But also other artists such as   Pietro e Gianlorenzo Bernini, Antonio Canova, Tiziano, Raffaello and Caravaggio participated. The villa was completed in 1633.

Since 1766 ristoration works took place in the "Casino nobile" (today seat to Borghese Gallery) and in the  "Casino dei giochi d'acqua" (today's "Aranciera" (Orangery), site to the Museum Carlo Bilotti). Inside the park was built the beautiful "Lake Garden". 
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Camillo Borghese bought the lands close to Porta del Popolo and Porta Pinciana further widening the boundaries of the villa. Over that century, the gardens were open to allow people to go for a walk on holidays and local festivals with songs and dances took place.
In 1901 the parco was acquired by the Italian State, that after gave it up to the Town Council of Rome. Since then, villa Borghese is open to public every day. Previously, the gardens were open only during holidays and local festivals.

In 1900, the Italian State decided to give to the park the name of Villa comunale Umberto I, formerly Borghese, in memory of King Humbert I, who died that year. Romans, though, have kept calling it Villa Borghese.

WHAT TO DO IN VILLA BORGHESE

If you have a couple of spare hours go for a walk in the greenery of Villa Borghese visiting the romantic Lake Garden or discovering the artistic wonders present at the Borghese Gallery and in the Gallery of Modern Art:

VISIT THE BORGHESE GALLERY AND ITS GARDENS

If you wish to make your children have fun take them to the Bioparco zoo or to the Casina di Raffaello, a nice play center for children aged 3 to 10: they will thank you all day long.

Do you love running? Do you need to lose some weight? Run around the 80 hectares of the park, surrounded by greenery, centuries-old trees and wonderful fountains. 
Do you want to impress your partner with a romanitic outing? Take them to the Lake Garden and then to one of the restaurants or to the cinema present in Villa Borghese.

You can't help but be stunned by the flora and fauna present in the park. Well, it is actually difficult to communicate the amount of activities available in villa Borghese, but we will try, presenting a list with the main attractions:

1. historic buildings: Casino del Graziano, Casino Giustiniani, the Aviary and the Sundial with its wonderful secret gardens;
2. neoclassical and nineteenth-century buildings: Casino dell’Orologio, Fortezzuola, the wide Lake Garden famous thanks to the temple of Asclepius reachable by boat;
3. facilities for leisure, games and cultural diffusion: Canonica Museum, house-study of the artist Pietro Canonica; Casino di Raffaello, with a play centre for children; Casina delle Rose, with the Cinema house; the Bioparco, wonderful zoological garden; the Orangery, transformed in the new Carlo Bilotti Museum with contemporary art works; the Globe Theater, a wide theatre pavilion of circular plant based on the Elizabethan theaters model;
4. an incredible concentration of museums, sculptures and monuments, it's no coincidence that villa Borghese is defined "The park of museums";
5. fountains, centuries-old trees, lakes, Italian style gardens and big open air spaces;
6. every spring, inside the equestrian dressage takes place the horse show of Piazza di Siena with the awaited ritual of the Carousel of Carabinieri.

To end with, don't miss the Pincio garden, that offers a breathtaking view over Rome: