Borghese Gallery

The art collection of the wealthy, noble Borghese family soon became too big for a single home. It moved into the Galleria Borghese - a separate building in the famous Villa Borghese park. In 1901, the collection passed into the hands of the Italian government and ever since, tourists travel from all over the world to see this beautiful museum! Timed tickets are hard to come by, so grab yours before they're all gone!
The Borgheses were a rich and powerful Italian family who moved to Rome in the 16th century. Camillo Borghese became Pope Paul V, appointed his nephew Scipione Cardinal, and then things started really coming up Borghese.
Scipione Borghese had a brain for power and an eye for art. He was a patron of Caravaggio and Bernini, and ended up building the Galleria Borghese to house his ever-expanding collection of work from these two, and other Renaissance masters.
This small museum punches well above its weight, thanks to the lush surroundings (pink marble walls, frescoed ceilings, etc.) and the hit rate of masterpieces. Plus, thanks to the timed entrance policy, it gets busy but never crowded.
Artistic highlights include Bernini's sculpture of David which captures the biblical hero coiled in a state of readiness, and The Rape of Proserpina - done when Bernini was just 23. Other highlights include Caravaggio's Boy with Fruit Basket and Raphael's extraordinary Deposition of Christ and Lady with a Unicorn .
A visit here is a trip into the rarefied air of Renaissance highlife and a chance to commune with artistic masterpieces from Renaissance masters.