Description of the attraction
It is not only the largest park in Rome, stretching for six kilometers in a circle, but also one of the most picturesque. The park, created by Cardinal Cafarelli Borghese at the beginning of the 17th century, was completely redesigned at the end of the 18th century by the Asprucci architects and re-decorated by the artist Unterberger, but at the beginning of the 19th century the architect Luigi Canina gave it the look it appears to visitors today. In 1902, the park was renamed in honor of King Umberto I, who donated it to the city of Rome. However, despite its official name, the park is still known as Villa Borghese, after its founder.
One of the most famous collections of sculpture and painting is housed in an elegant building known as the Casino Borghese, which was commissioned by Sipione Borghese by the architect Giovanni Vasanzio in 1613-1615. The museum is located on the ground floor and occupies a portico, a salon and eight rooms, which contain many of the masterpieces of Bernini and Canova, as well as examples of marble sculpture from the antique period. The Borghese Gallery is located on the second floor and includes an extensive lobby and twelve rooms, which display a collection of truly priceless paintings by Perugino, Pinturicchio, Andrea del Sarto, Bernini, Pietro da Cortona, Titian, Veronese and many other remarkable artists.
The Etruscan National Museum is located in Villa Julia, the summer residence of Pope Julius III. The museum's collection includes a terracotta figurine of Apollo from Veijo, a collection of ceramics and gold items by A. Castellani, a collection of Etruscan bronze items, the famous Etruscan sarcophagus depicting a married couple. Nearby is the Gallery of Modern Art, which displays paintings and sculptures by masters of the 19th century.
On the territory of Villa Borghese there is a hippodrome, a zoo, races and competitions of equestrian carabinieri are held here, and on an island in the middle of an artificial lake there is a small temple of Aesculapius.
