Villa Borghese

The park of Villa Borghese occupies a vast area in the heart of the city. The villa contains buildings, sculptures, monuments and fountains, the work of illustrious artists of the Baroque, Neoclassical and Eclectic art, surrounded by ancient trees, ponds, Italian gardens and large open spaces, created with great care.

The construction of the villa was entrusted by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of the Pope Paul V, to Flaminio Ponzo and to his pupil Giovanni Vasanzio, who was succeeded in 1621 by Girolamo Rainaldi. Domenico Savino da Montepulciano was responsible for the layout of the gardens. The works commissioned by Scipione Borghese lasted from 1608 until 1633, the year of the Cardinal's death.

In the 18th century, the restoration and improvement works of Villa Borghese commissioned by Marcantonio Borghese and carried out by Antonio Asprucci and his son Mario primarily involved the Casino Nobile and, in subsequent years, the park, where a system of symmetrical and perpendicular avenues was created with neoclassical temples and Piazza di Siena.

In the 19th century Camillo and Francesco Borghese expanded the park's surface and in 1903 the Villa was purchased by the Italian state and used as a public park.

The most evocative places of Villa Borghese are: the Garden of the lake where it is possible to rent boats and admire, in the center of the water, the Temple dedicated to Aesculapius and, along the banks, the Sundial and the Fountain of the Satyrs Family; the Secret Gardens (Giardino dell'Uccelliera, Giardino Vecchio, Giardino della Meridiana and Giardino della Coltivazione) reconstructed on the basis of historical and iconographic documentation; Piazza di Siena thus named in honor of the city of origin of the Borghese family, home of the International Horse Show, where events and concerts are held; the Borghese Casino of Vasanzio, in which the Galleria Borghese is based; the Fortezzuola now home to the Museo Canonica; the Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, the Modern Art Gallery and the Parco dei Daini.