4. Rome: Villa Borghese

We went back up the Pincian Hill, not one of the original seven hills of Rome, but a steep enough climb all the same, to the Villa Borghese (pronounced Bor-gay-see).

Villa Borghese is a landscaped garden containing a number of buildings, museums and attractions. It is the third largest public park in Rome.  The gardens were developed for the Villa Borghese Pinciana (the Borghese villa on the Pincian Hill) in 1605, for Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V, patron of Bernini and collector of Caravaggio, who used it as a country villa and to house his art collection. 

The grand mansion is now a museum called Galleria Borghese and the art collection and decoration is jaw-dropping.

Many of the sculptures are displayed in the spaces for which they were originally intended.

The sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, which comprise a significant percentage of the artist's output of secular sculpture, include David (above) and are considered seminal works of baroque sculpture.

Meet Pauline Borghese Bonaparte. In 1808, Prince Camillo Borghese, husband of Pauline and brother-in-law of Emperor Napoleon fell on tough times and was forced to sell many of the Borghese Roman sculptures and antiquities to Napoleon. The result is that many of the best of the Borghese sculptures are now in the Louvre.

Even so, those remaining are magnificent. Bernini 's Apollo and Dafne.

Bernini again - The Rape of Persephone.

The magnificent space for which it was commissioned.

A Roman floor mosaic from 2nd Century acquired (read probably 'stolen') from an ancient site.

Cardinal Scipione Borghese himself, by Bernini.

Considerably more handsome is this unnamed woman in black marble.

You'd really think these figures and decorations were actually sitting up there on a ledge; but this is painted on the ceiling cornice.

The Caravaggio's are stunning. David with the head of Goliath.

Madonna and Child with Serpent.

Boy with a Basket of Fruit.

Saint Jerome Writing.

This is called Girl with the Unicorn by Raffaello and is said to have inspired Michelangelo to paint Mona Lisa. It was under glass in a poorly lit area, hence the reflections.

The path to the magnificent bird cage is flanked with fragrant potted citrus.

Huge lemon blossoms.

We ended our visit with some silliness and hired a four wheeled electric cycle for an hour to tear up and down the roads and tracks in the hilly park. 

In the little Temple of Diana.

We walked all the way home - again! Passed the United States embassy in via Veneto. It covers a whole city block and looks magnificent.

Pink and red cyclamens are everywhere..... even in the grass on via Veneto.