Villa Borghese gardens

Villa Borghese is a beautiful garden in Rome, Italy. It is one of the biggest public parks in the city, covering about 80 hectares or 197.7 acres. The gardens were made for the Villa Borghese Pinciana, a grand home built by the architect Flaminio Ponzio. This home was used for parties and to show off many pieces of art.

The gardens have been changed and improved over time. Their current look was mostly finished in the late 1800s. Today, the gardens have many interesting buildings and museums, such as the Galleria Borghese. Visitors can walk through the green spaces, see the art, and learn about the history of this famous place. It is close to other nice parks like the Villa Doria Pamphili and Villa Ada, making it a great place to visit in Rome.

History

In 1605, Cardinal Scipione Borghese, who was related to Pope Paul V, began turning an old vineyard into Rome's largest gardens. This place may have once been the famous gardens of Luculla. A man named Domenico Savino planned how the gardens would look.

Later, in the 1700s, Marcantonio Borghese, 5th Prince of Sulmona changed the gardens to look more like a calm English park. Workers put statues in the park and built a lake and special buildings.

The gardens opened to the public in 1903. Since then, statues of famous people like Victor Hugo and Goethe have been added. Today, the park is a lovely place to visit with great views of Rome.

Villas in the gardens

The Galleria Borghese is now inside the Villa Borghese. The Casino Borghese was built by architect Giovanni Vasanzio for Camillo Borghese. It holds famous sculptures by Bernini, such as David and Daphne, and paintings by Titian, Raphael, and Caravaggio.

The Villa Giulia was built in 1551–1555 as a summer home for Pope Julius III. It now holds the Etruscan Museum (Museo Etrusco). The Villa Medici is home to the French Academy in Rome and includes the Fortezzuola, a beautiful garden area. In the 1650s, Diego Velázquez painted scenes of this garden lit up by torches.

Other villas in the gardens are from a world exposition held in Rome in 1911. The Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna shows paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries, focusing on Italian artists. One interesting building from the 1911 exposition is the English pavilion, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. It now houses the British School at Rome.

Gardens

The Villa Borghese gardens have many lovely places. The Giardino del Lago has a lake that shows the Temple of Aesculapius. This garden was changed in the late 1700s and has neat temples and statues.

The Piazzale Scipione Borghese Garden used to have a Narcissus fountain, but now it has a statue of Venus. The Giardini Segreti (Secret Gardens) grew rare and special plants and bulbs. They were hurt during wars but are still open for tours.

Other places include the Giardini di Valle Giulia, made for a show in 1911, and Parco dei Daini, which once had fallow deer and gazelles. Valle dei Platani looks almost the same as it did in the 1600s and is a favorite spot for dogs to play.

Museums

The Villa Borghese gardens have many interesting museums and places to visit. Some of the notable ones include the Galleria Borghese, the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, and the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia. The park also has places like the Casa del cinema, the Casina di Raffaello, and the Gigi Proietti Globe Theatre.

Other points of interest

The gardens have a copy of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre that was built in 2003. Near the old exhibition buildings, you can find the Bioparco, a zoo with less caging, and the Zoological Museum (Museo di Zoologia). Close by is the Casina di Raffaello playroom, which has crafts, reading rooms, and a place where kids can try on royal costumes.

In 1873, a special water clock was placed in the gardens. It was designed in 1867 by Gian Battista Embriaco, a priest who was also an inventor and teacher at the College of St. Thomas. This water clock was made to look like one at the College of St. Thomas and there is another one on the Pincian Hill. Embriaco showed his invention at the Paris Universal Exposition in 1867, where it received prizes and much praise.

Flora

The Villa Borghese gardens have many different kinds of trees. Below is a list of the main trees found there:

There are also many plants that grow for one season in the gardens. Here is a list of them:

Fauna

The Villa Borghese gardens have many birds, fish, mammals, and reptiles. You can see different kinds of birds all around the garden and in the small artificial lake. There are also special insects like the great capricorn beetle that you might spot on tree trunks in late spring just before sunset.

In popular culture

The gardens of Villa Borghese have appeared in many stories and songs. They are part of a famous piece of music called Pines of Rome by Ottorino Respighi. They also appear in a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne called The Marble Faun, and in a movie named The Driver's Seat. Singer Phil Collins mentioned the Villa in his song "Lorenzo" from 1996. You can also find the gardens in video games like Mario Kart Tour and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in a course called "Rome Avanti". Famous writer Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote about the Villa in his novel Notes from Underground.

Transport Links

The gardens are easy to reach. You can get there from the Flaminio and Spagna metro stations. You can also take the tram from the Flaminio terminus or Valle Giulia terminus. There are stops near the Galleria Arte Moderna, Aldrovandi, and Bioparco. The Flaminio railway station is close by, too.