Villa Borghese and further north
The hill of Pincius above Piazza del Popolo sits on the edge of the city center and gives rise to a series of parks and gardens that make up the largest open space in Rome - Villa Borghese, consisting of the grounds of the 17th-century palace of Scipion Borghese, purchased by the city at the turn of the century. This huge area of forests, There are roads traversed by lakes and meadows and is the region of Rome that is the least distant from the center, where you can have a little peace. For these, For those who are not satisfied with a stroll or sunbathing, there are many attractions: lake with boat rental, zoo (cruel institution, which is better to avoid) and some of the best museums in the city.
Pincius Hill is not formally part of Villa Borghese, but its terrace and gardens, founded by Valadier at the beginning of the 19th century. and surrounded by decaying classic statues (chipping off pieces of stone is one of the favorite pastimes in Rome), provide beautiful views over the rooftops, domes and TV antennas in the center of Rome up to St.. Peter. To the south there are other gardens on the land of Villa Medici, although the Villa itself is today the seat of the French Academy and the gardens can only be accessed on selected days.
Galeria Borghese
pn.-sb. 9.00-13.30, nd. 9.00-13.00; Free entrance
The Villa Borghese proper is situated on the other side of the Aurelian Walls, along the road that forms their extension. To somehow organize your sightseeing, it's best to start with Casino Borghese on the east side, which was built at the beginning of the 17th century. and handed over to you in 1902 r. like the Borghese Gallery. The gallery houses the collection of Cardinal Scipione Borghese and as people can remember it was under renovation, which may take some time yet. However, the ground floor of the villa can be visited, and it houses some of the best sculptures in the museum, both antique, and the seventeenth century. The protégé of the Borghese family, of course, dominates, Bernini, whose works embody the Italian Baroque, for example, in the bust of his patron saint, which, as usual, is characterized by extraordinary vitality. There are more dramatic pieces in other halls. He sculpted Aeneas and Anchizes Bernini with his father at the age of fifteen; the brilliant Abduction of Proserpine is found in a hall full of statues of Roman emperors; the best, however, is the sculpture of Apollo and Daphne, dramatic, a studied work capturing the moment, in which Daphne turns into a laurel tree: fingers turn into leaves, legs in branches, and Apollo watches helplessly. In the next room, you can see the self-portrait of Bernini aged 25 years titled David. The mirror was supposed to be held by Scipione Borghese himself, while the most important work of the next gallery is a sculpture by Canova depicting another member of the family, Paulina Borghese, as Venus resting in a bold pose on a couch, and the fine drapery leaves little room for guesswork. Napoleon's sister, Paulina Borghese, she led a worldly life, which shocked her contemporaries. Stories of her jewels circulated, costumes, about the Negro, who carried her out of the bath, about servants acting as footstools and, of course, about a multitude of lovers. Everyone but herself found the statue outrageous. When she was asked, how she could pose almost naked, she replied: "And, there was a stove in the studio ".
Other Villa Borghese museums
Two other major Villa Borghese museums are situated at the far end of the park, przy avenue of fine arts. Visit to the Nazionale d'Arte Moderne Gallery (wt.-sb. 9.00-14.00, nd. 9.00-13.00; 4000 L) rather, it is less compulsory, for this enormous neoclassical building houses collections less outstanding than might be expected: a wide selection of works by 19th and 20th century Italian artists, of which only the Modigliani are known, by Chirico, Giacomo Balia, Boccione and other futurists; there are also individual works by Cezanne, Mondrian and Klimt.
The situated Fr. 10 a minute walk towards via Flaminia Villa Giulia is much more interesting. This harmonious complex of courtyards, the log, gardens and temples was founded in a frivolous mannerist style by Pope Julius III in the mid-16th century. and worth a visit in itself. Most people come here, however, because of the Museo Nazionale di Villa Giulia (wt.-sb. 9.00-19.00, nd. 9.00-13.00; 4000 L), which has the best in Rome, and even in the world, collections of Etruscan treasures and provides a good introduction (or summary) for visiting the Etruscan monuments in Lazio, where most of the exhibits on display here come from. The harvest is not particularly great, so it's worth seeing them all. They are roughly divided into two parts, on the left, exhibits from areas north of Rome (Tarkwinia, Cerveteri, He came), and on the right from the south (Ask for it, Palestrina). The sculptures are a must: strong, refined and highly personalized statues, among which the best are the group of Apollo and Heracles from Veio and the extraordinary Sarcophagus of a married couple from Cerveteri, where facial features are portrayed in a portrait way. Other more interesting objects are cistae obtained from the tombstones around Palestrina - objects in the shape of a drum, with inscriptions and figures, where everything was placed, what the body needs after death. In the same room, pay attention to the extremely intricate gold jewelry in the form of tiny horses, birds, camels and other animals.
North of Villa Borghese
The area north of Villa Borghese is the exclusive PARIOLI district, one of the richest in Rome, interesting only for its inhabitants. Directly to the east are the vast grounds of Villa Ada connected with Villa Borghese via Salaria, the old merchant trail, which the Sabines used to deliver salt to Rome (hence the name) and other goods. Villa Ada was once the property of King Victor Emmanuel III and is as interesting as any other park, bucolic enough, to spend a lazy afternoon there, but it's not worth going there from the city center. Catacombs of Priscilla (wt.-nd. 8.30-12.00 i 14.30-17.00; 2000 L), which are reached via Salaria, it's the only thing to watch. The compulsory route takes you through a maze of frescoed tunnels to the oldest known painting of the Madonna and Child, dated to the second half of the 2nd century.
At the other end of the Parioli district, the Tiber forms a large, hooked bend. Rome's northern periphery is not very inviting, though Ponte Milvio, original ancient Roman pedestrian bridge, on which Emperor Constantine defeated St. 312 r. n.e. Maksencjusza, it still spans the shores and offers great views of the meanders of the Tiber, green hills on either side and swift, muddy water at the bottom. North of the river is Piazzale di Milvio, where the fairs are held; you can eat there in cheap brasseries and restaurants. After ten minutes it comes to an end (next to the huge building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) to the sports center of Foro Italico, belonging to a few parts of Rome, which have been preserved in the form Mussolini dreamed of. The facility is still used as a sports center and very well equipped, it is worth seeing because of the atmosphere of the era. In the middle there is a fountain surrounded by mosaics, depicting muscular figures devoting themselves to healthy sports competition. Avenue behind the fountain, running next to the ski slope, it was also decorated with mosaics in honor of Duce. There are two main stadiums on either side of the fountain: on the larger of them, on the left, part of the Olympics was held in 1960 r. and every second Sunday there are still two Roman soccer teams stumbling over there. The smaller Stadio dei Marmi ("Marble stadium") is a typical monument of fascism, surrounded by sixty great statues of men in various resilient poses, with fig leaves modestly concealing the nature.