Villa Borghese

Villa Borghese, perhaps best described as an “outdoor museum”, hosts an array of exhibition space, including the Borghese Gallery, National Gallery of Modern Art, Etruscan Museum of Villa Guilia, Museum of Peter Canonica and Zoology Museum, sponsored by various cultural academies around the world.
The Villa Borghese core, a modest terraced plot, remained under the Borghese family’s ownership through 1580. During the early 17th century, overtaken by Cardinal Scipione Caffarelli Borghese, beloved nephew of Paul V, began to purchase a series of neighbouring land plots with the vision of creating a “Villa of deliciousness” (“villa di delizie”), what would inevitably serve as a status symbol of the family.
The original layout of the Villa Borghese embraced a “pars urbana” and “pars rustica” concept consistent with classical tradition. The estate was divided into three sections marked by distinct stone walls, accessible via guarded entrance gates.
The first section of the Villa Borghese estate, the most significant of the three, encompassed the noble casino mandated by the Cardinal himself to house his conspicuous art collection, numerous fountains, statues and small wooded forest (“Giardino Boschereccio”).
Despite a few acts of vandalism, one may still note this area’s initial geometric design and roadway system today.
The second section served as the Prince’s exclusive garden, featuring identical holm oak trees as well as other architectural particularities. This area at present corresponds to the Daini Park. Nestled in between the first and second sections, lies the Secret Garden (“Giardini Segreti”) where the Uccelliera and Meridiana casinos were erected. The third and final section, the Villa’s largest, has undergone the greatest changes.
Starting in the late 1700s, Marc Anthony Borghese enacted wide-spanding construction projects that transformed and enhanced the property’s ornamentation. Architects Anthony and Mario Asprucci were appointed for the work of the noble casino, various secondary buildings and gardens. Without a doubt, the creation of the property’s man-made lake, abiding traditional English Garden style, proved to be the most extravagant of these initiatives. The garden was also introduced exotic species and a small neoclassical temple.
The Villa expanded during the early portion of the 18th century with the new acquisitions of Villa Giustiniani near the Popolo Gate limits (“Porta del Popolo”) and the Pamphili and Manfoni villas near the Pinciana Gate (“Porta Pinciana”). Such projects were managed by Luigi Canina that created a new property layout incorporating a number of small eclectic, neoclassical buildings.
It was not until 1901 that the state gained ownership of the estate, later passing it along to the city of Rome that tried to divide it into a series of independent land plots. This only led to the opening of the estate and its surrounding grounds to the public.
Several restoration projects have been performed since the end of WW II. The pledge to safeguard and promote pleasurable use of the Villa Borghese as a city park enabled the property to embark in a new phase of history. Cherished by local Romans and international tourists, the estate is portrayed in many literary and musical works.
As far as the villa’s modern-day natural setting, the Villa Borghese offers much wealth.
The Secret Garden (“Gardini Segreti”) boasts rare and exotic flower species while other areas such as the Valley of Platani (“Valle dei Platani”) expand across pristine Roman meadows and countryside landscape, with trees planted by the Cardinal Borghese at the beginning of the 1600s. Other attractions include the English Garden and its lovely Lake Garden (“Giardino del Lago”).
And thus, one may stroll through art and natural surroundings, alternating from indoor and outdoor environments, with infinite occasions to take in the history and beauty of this Roman oasis.