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The Borghese gallery is a must visit in my opinion when in Rome. On our most recent visit to the eternal city, we were able to hook up with LivItaly Tours to tour this amazing and historic gallery, one of the best museums in Rome.
It was the highlight of our Rome trip. As photography and art lovers, we were in heaven. The masterpieces contained in this Borghese museum are magnificent. I am excited to share some of my favorites with you.
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Borghese Gallery Tour with Livitaly
We met up with our reps from Livitaly at 5pm on a hot July day. One of the wonderful things about Livitaly is that they limit their tour size to 6 people. Just 6! . This made the tour more personal. Nothing irks me more than having to look for those little flags and watching tour guides trying to cope with a group of 50 or more 🙂 .
Our group of 6 consisted of us two, and a family visiting from the States. Everyone was punctual, and off we went. Our tour guide was Andrea, a very efficient and capable man. He led us downstairs where we deposited our handbags etc. for safe keeping.
From there, we went to the gallery directly after fitting us with head phones to we could hear him speak. It was hardly needed, but was nice to have, especially when l lingered a bit. Getting there, make sure to walk through the Borghese gardens and watch the locals and tourists alike enjoying the space and taking canoe rides on the beautiful lake.
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Borghese Gallery Rome:
Borghese Gallery and Museum History:
This Borghese gallery was originally the home of Cardinal Scipione Borghese, a very rich man who also happened to be a nephew to Pope John Paul V. He commissioned building of this estate which is on the outskirts of Rome to an architect by the name of Flaminio Ponzio.
Not only was the cardinal evidently a lover of art, the house design was based on his sketches. Seeing the rooms, it’s obvious that he was a man of great taste. The gallery was established in 1903.
I felt a bit smug when l saw people with bags being turned back at the entrance and we just breezed in. Another good thing about being with someone who knows the lay of the land ;-).
All through the tour which lasted 2 hours, Andrea showed us some of the most important pieces in the museum. Trust me, there is so much to see, so much so, that it’s impossible to see it all in the maximum time of two hours allowed by the gallery. Being with Livitaly tours, we were able to see the most astounding works by the Bernini, Titian, Caravaggio and others. Here are some of my most favorite pieces:
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Rape of Persephone at Borghese Gallery Rome:
According to Greek mythology, Persephone was the daughter of Zeus. Hades kidnapped her and took her to the Underworld against her will. This is one of the most impressive sculptures by the genius Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
If you’ve been to the Vatican, you’ve seen his handiwork at the Piazza San Pietro when you look up and see those awesome sculptures of the saints all along the top. This was one of his works that was commissioned by the Cardinal. Andrea encouraged us to look deeper at the sculptured marble.
On closer examination, you notice the anguish and tears in her eyes, you notice how his hands are digging into her flesh. It’s incredible that such detail is accomplished using marble! Even more incredible is the fact that he used a single slab of marble for each work. No joining parts for him!
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David Statue at Borghese Gallery:
Another one by Bernini. Everyone is familiar with the story of David and Goliath. This sculpture shows David about to fire at the giant. I love the look of intensity on his face.
Apollo and Daphne at the Borghese Museum:
Cupid has shot Apollo with his arrow and he is mesmerized with Daphne. She on the other hand, has been shot by Cupid’s love repelling arrow and hates all men. She prays to her father to curse the beauty that attracts him.
He changes her to a tree. To say this piece is breathtaking would be putting it mildly. You see how she changes and is half woman and half tree while he has the lovelorn look on his face. Incredible.
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Madonna and Child at Borghese Rome:
This is by the artist Bellini. I stood a while looking at this painting as l just loved the simplicity of it. They both look so innocent. I think that was the point.
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Madonna and child and Snake at Galleria Borghese:
I confess that I’ve always had a thing for Caravaggio. To me, he was the original bad ass 🙂 . Brawler, murderer, vandal. Sentenced to death for murder, he escaped to Malta. The Knights of Malta welcomed him for a while. We saw one of his major pieces there in Valletta. A violent brawl made him a fugitive once again and he escaped to Sicily. He was only 38 when he died two years later.
There was just so much more to see. It is entirely possible to stay for a day and not fully see everything. Here are some more great ones.
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What made this visit even more enjoyable for me were the golden nuggets of information courtesy of Andrea. Things you wouldn’t know by visiting on your own. Little tidbits about the Cardinal and the various ways he went about acquiring some of his art.
What a scoundrel! 😉 . Pauline Bonaparte and her marble sculpture by Antonio Canova. I still smile at her saucy reply when asked how she could pose nude. It certainly made it worth while.
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Here is Andrea telling us about the painting Sacred and Profane Love by Titian, one of the greatest Italian artists.
Related Reading: Tivoli trip from Rome
Don’t forget to look up when you tour the Borghese gallery. You don’t want to miss any ceiling fresco at one of the best museums to visit in Rome, such as this gorgeous one.
Livitaly Tours wrap up:
Our Borghese gallery small group tour came to an end. We both enjoyed it thoroughly, and l thank Andrea for being a wonderful guide. I would recommend this Livitaly tour whenever you visit Rome.
Federico, even though born and bred in Rome, had never visited this magnificent palace before. Sometimes it’s nice to see things from a different perspective and he said it made him love Rome even more.
Goes to show how easy it is to take your home for granted, doesn’t it ? You can find out more information on the tour here . Needless to say, you can make your Villa Borghese reservation directly on there. You won’t be sorry and another visit to the Borghese gallery in Rome is a must for us.
Tips for visiting Rome Borghese Gallery and Museum:
- Tour with a knowledgeable guide and small group such as conducted by Livitaly
- Wear comfortable shoes as there is a lot of walking, both for the tour and for the lovely gardens.
- Leave yourself at least 2 hours for the tour which shows you the best pieces, but consider coming back to not only see the art, but to enjoy the Borghese park and gardens. It’s huge!
- Pack light, a small handbag if needed. Remember you have to check in your belongings.
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Have you been to Rome? What do you think of the Borghese gallery and tour? Does it look like a museum you would like to visit? Are you an art lover like us?
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It was indeed lucky meeting her! I love sculptures and paintings of that time, definitely a lot more than many of the modern “art” where it seems to be enough throwing some paint on the canvas and calling it a painting. If Jesus looked as good as the statue depicts him, there’s no wonder that he had so many followers back then.
Haha!! I know for sure l would have followed him 🙂 , to heaven and back!!! :-). I also love these kind of art way more than the modern art you speak of..haha which seems to be just outdoing each other on the amount of paint being used. Such pretentious crap! :-). We absolutely loved this tour, and we will definitely find time to visit again in the near future.
Looks like we’ll need to do some serious boning up on our Greek mythology before we visit Rome! The sculptures by Bernini are especially incredible and the marble actually looks like living flesh. Your post has totally sold me on both the Borghese gallery and the LivItaly tour with its smaller group. I especially like the fact that the tour educates and gives some background on what you’re seeing so that you can have a deeper appreciation for both the art and the artist.
It is so totally worth it. I didn’t want to spill the beans as to what tidbits you get to make you appreciate the art even more because that would be uncool. Needless to say, it made for a more enjoyable experience. Isn’t it amazing how the marble looks like living flesh just like you say? Absolutely incredible. You guys would totally enjoy it.Don’t worry about boning up, you learn it during the tour :-).
That looks amazing! I am an art fan, so this would be a great trip for me!
You would love it as an art lover. Some of the greatest pieces in the world are there. I totally understand why you can’t bring anything in. You don’t want to knock anything over 🙂
Wow! What a beautiful museum! Italy sounds like it would be a lovely overseas place to visit!
It is an absolutely beautiful one. So jam packed full of great stuff. Worthy of a visit for sure, as is Italy. 🙂
This is one of my favorite museums in Rome. My blog post about it I titled 100 Percent Concentration of Beauty.
I’ve just read your post. Looks like we all loved this museum. We are due back to Rome in October and hopefully can find time to visit, and l will take your suggestion 🙂 . We need some alone time with these masterpieces.
This makes me feel like history is only a click away. Thanks so much for sharing your fantastic photos.
Haha! It is just a click away. We all just can’t chuck everything and go, but that doesn’t mean you can’t share the beauty :-). Thank you!
Oh, Kemkem! Breathtaking! And that’s all I can say.—Terri
Well, that does say it all Terri! 🙂
Gorgeous stuff! The marble sculptures are incredible and I especially love the look on the two-headed dog. And to do this with a single slab of marble is amazing. Rome is amazing and we’ll make sure to see the Gallery the next time around.
Frank )bbqboy)
That dog is fierce, isn’t it? That’s what l find incredible. That he was able to polish marble to the point of it being real for lack of a better word. I would love to get a close up view of the saints in Vatican City too. He was an amazing artist. Yeah, you should definitely check it out next time. It is so worth it :-).
I loved Rome, but didn’t make it here. Looks beautiful. Perhaps next time I make my way there.
Good thing is that it will always be there :-).
Absolutely beautiful. Breath taking photos as always. I’d never really thought much about traveling but I sure enjoy doing it through your posts and photos! 😉
Awh..thanks Kenya. That’s the whole point of doing it. Everyone can enjoy travel in some way. Not everyone can be so lucky to get away on a whim. Thanks again :-).
I’ve had no real interest in visiting Rome, but these shots make me want to get there.
I think it’s one of those places that you either love or hate. Like Paris. I’m glad the shots are influencing you somewhat ;-).
The holy six pack is hilarious. This wouldn’t be my choice of museum but it has some interesting pieces for sure. I love that they keep the tour groups small. I hate a large tour group.
I also hate big tour groups. You hardly hear anything. Amazing that the abs on Jesus and a bunch of the other sculptures were so defined. You know it wasn’t true in real life. Well, maybe the gladiators 🙂 .
What a beautiful museum! As always, your pictures made me feel like I was there with you.
Thanks Tia. Much appreciated :-). It is definitely a beaut.
I love museums. Definitely going to visit my share when I head to Italy. Thanks for sharing
You will love this one for sure. I love museums too, especially when they are this pretty.. 🙂
Oh my goodness! This place looks so amazing! I so want to visit Italy one day. I love museums!
Another museum lover! Fantastic. You will love this one. I hope you get to travel there soon :-).
I love that the tour group was so small. I think for a museum like this, it is perfect because you really can learn so much about what you’re seeing. Looks amazing!
It was amazing Jonna. We really enjoyed it, perfect size group and what awesome art :-).I want to go back to see some more.
I’ve been to Rome 3 times but have missed this museum each time! Thanks for the virtual tour, it looks stunning, especially the sculptures
Haha! Me too. We visit the family at least once a year, but yet never managed to go there. So glad we finally did. The sculptures are insane! 🙂
I have traveled virtually to Borghese Gallery in Rome through your post. The pictures are stunning. Great post and thank you for sharing it. I can’t wait to visit in person .
Thank you for reading 🙂 . We absolutely loved this gallery, and thanks for the compliment. I hope you get to visit soon :-).
Thanks for your great sharing. I really like it. It is good and nice.. The photos you shared are nice.
Thanks for reading and l’m glad you enjoyed it :-).