How to visit Villa Borghese: the neoclassic gem of Rome

Villa Borghese is located in the heart of Rome city center, with its monumental main entrance located in Piazzale Flaminio close to Piazza del Popolo. Built in the XVII century by the cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V, Villa Borghese is one of the biggest park of the eternal city and the only one site of the old town included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Regarding its size and wonderful masterpieces located inside the Villa, in this article you will discover the unmissable buildings and corners to visit with a detailed guide to enjoy Villa Borghese with everything you need to know.

It is one of the places to admire Rome from the top, Pincio is a park part of the largest Villa Borghese, considered the first public garden of Rome and even though many locals consider Pincio an independent park, its area is part of Villa Borghese. The current structure was realized by the architect Giacomo Valadier (1762-1839) in the XIX century, with avenues decorated by busts representing important figures of the Italian history. The main attraction of Pincio is the balcony over Piazza del Popolo where there is a view over the roofs and the monuments of the eternal city, from the Capitol Hill (Campidoglio) to Saint Peter's dome.

It is one of the must see museum to visit during a holiday in Rome, Galleria Borghese is a treasure chest full of incredible masterpieces, in its rooms are displayed works made by Bernini, Canova, Caravaggio, Raffaello, Perugino and many more. Built in the XVII century, Galleria Borghese is the main building of Villa Borghese and it hosts the art collection of the Borghese family. For the presence of important paintings made by Caravaggio and for the number of sculptural masterpieces made by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Galleria Borghese is considered one of the most prestigious art collections in the world.

Built at the beginning of XX century in the heart of Villa Borghese, the Rome Zoological garden - Bioparco - is the oldest zoo of Italy, the first one using open spaces and moats instead of cages. At that time, zoo were only recreational places for humans without any interest for the well-being of the animals. At the end of the XX century, the roman municipality decided to turn the old zoological garden into a bioparco as it is today: a place to protect endangered species and a scientific research center where adults and children can learn everything about education to biodiversity.

Located inside the Orangery of Villa Borghese, Carlo Bilotti Museum is a small but rich contemporary art museum of Rome. Inside the Museum is exposed the collection of Carlo Bilotti, donated to the municipality of the eternal city, which contains several sculptures and paintings made by the Italian father of metaphysical artist Giorgio de Chirico in addition to works made by Andy Warhol, Mimmo Rotella and Larry Rivers. The Orangery, which hosts the Carlo Bilotti museum how it appears today, is the results of the renovation made in the XX century after the destruction of the building during the Roman Republic (1849).

The racecourse of Piazza di Siena - so called in honor of Siena, the city where Borghese family was born - was built inside Villa Borghese by the prince Marcantonio IV in a shape which remembered Piazza del Campo in Siena, the place where since the Middle Age the worldwide known Palio has been played. Nowadays Piazza di Siena hosts every year a prestigious international race show part of Furusiyya Nations Cup, with the annual spectacular show of the Carabinieri Carousel.

One of the most beautiful corners of Villa Borghese is the artificial small lake with the temple of Aesculapius which adorns the western river of the lake. The temple was built in neoclassic style at the end of the XVIII century, the statue inside the temple is dedicated to Aesculapius.and probably it was originally set in the Mausoleum of Augustus. The lake is one of the corner of Villa Borghese most loved by locals, thanks to the opportunity during the warm season to rent a boat for a trip around the lake and the temple.

Villa Borghese is so big and awesome that there are so many places to visit. Other beauties deserving a visit are, for example, the “Casina delle rose” which hosts the House of cinema, the museum of Pietro Canonica, the Casina Valadier made by the architect Valadier, the hydrocronometer built in the XIX century, the secret gardens, and the Cinema dei Piccoli the smallest cinema in the world.