Roma Pass – Part 4: Borghese Gallery

Probably if you are anything like me, and only have a basic, cursory knowledge of foreign countries (like, Italy for example) then you haven’t heard of the Borghese Gallery. Fortunately for me, I have a mother who has not only studied art, but has also visited Italy in order to see it. Thus before I left, she told me it was a must see. Best Advice Ever.

The Borghese Gallery is on the north side of Rome and houses a collection of works of art that were obtained through painstaking research, high-priced commissions, a little pillaging, a bit of corruption, some coercion, and good ol’ fashioned manipulation. I’ll let you rent the superb audio-guide for the more specific details, but it’s got a dirty little history to go along with the dramatic works of art it houses.

I made my way to the gallery via the metro (for free!) and my own two feet. The subway takes you as far as the entrance to the villa it resides on, but then it’s up to the art lover to walk through Rome’s version of Central Park to arrive at the Borghese’s doorstep.

Despite being less known worldwide, it’s still a popular site. Entrance is limited to 360 people every two-hours and they keep a tight watch on the time. Reservations are usually mandatory, but since it’s off-season, I waltzed right in at 12:30, skipped the 2 EU reservation fee and flashed my Roma Pass for free entrance at 1:00. Le me tell you, it is simply euphoric when plans go smoothly in a foreign country.

Since I had a half hour to kill, I decided to make use of the payphone in the gallery café. I had realized that morning when I was getting ready that I was missing a beautiful, gray, sweater-wrap-thing-y I had bought earlier on the trip. By process of elimination, I figured I must have left it in my locker at the Assisi hostel. Now seemed like an opportune time to see if they had it.

I managed to decode my phone card (and the payphone) and actually connect with the hostel. However, the husband of the woman running the joint answered the phone and he had no idea. He said he would look for me, but I should try calling back later. It wasn’t the, “Yes! I have it right here!” I was hoping for, but I was relieved to have just made contact.

Soon it was 1:00 and armed with my audio-guide, I made my way to the entrance. Even though I would love to take you on a room-by-room tour (which I could almost do by memory I enjoyed it so much), I won’t. But let me just say, Bernini is the frickin’ man. It seems as though every room featured a stunning sculpture by his hand (there were 7 rooms of sculpture and 5 of them featured a major work by Bernini – it should really be called the Bernini Gallery…). And when I say stunning, I mean that you walk in the room and are stunned. I think my mouth dried out from letting it gape open for so long.

Predictably, I was not allowed to take pictures, but I encourage you to find some online so you can connect a few mental images to what I’m talking about. I’m not sure why Bernini isn’t as famous as Michelangelo, but fame he surely deserves. (Perhaps it’s only that I haven’t heard of him and the rest of the world is in the know – I’m not sure.) In any case, I was absolutely captivated by his artistry.

Now, I will freely admit that I am quite green in the ways of appreciating art and often quite unable to name admirable qualities in specific works (in fact when it comes to paintings, often you have to tell me what is good…and why). However, when it comes to sculpture, I feel like I “get” it. Or at least, more so. Perhaps because it is three-dimensional and so easily comparable to real-life, it is easier for the layman to understand; I don’t know. But whatever the case: I love it. Paintings I could take or leave, but sculpture – lead me to it! So you can understand why I toured the main floor (sculpture) twice and blitzed the second floor (paintings), making a bee-line for the audio guide highlights and then immediately moving on.

I used every moment of my two-hours in the museum and it was free money well spent. Rick Steves also rates the site extremely high, but I’m not sure I would have made the effort to see it had it not been for the solid recommendation from my very own mother. So thanks mom; that was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. I left the museum extremely satisfied and dying to talk to you. I can hardly wait to debrief when I get home!