Borghese Gallery -- S M Maggiore

Walk 5

see other pages for St John Lateran, Baths of Caracalla, Villa Farnesina -- Trastevere

This is an ambitious day, spread all over town, but with proper planning and techniques you can fit everything in. Unlike the other walks, this is a taxi-driven itinerary because these sites are on opposite sides of town, several kilometers apart.

Taxis are a great supplement to your walking tours because they get you there fast, you can sit and rest during the ride, drivers are honest, not too expensive because most distances are reasonable, intervening streets are less important but fun to watch glide by, and taxis are easy to catch now that Rome has greatly increased the number of cabs. Besides you haven’t been to Rome until you’ve taken a thrilling ride by taxi through the crazy streets, watching pedestrians scramble out of the way, worth the price in itself.

BORGHESE GALLERY

This relatively small museum has dozens of masterpieces including some of Bernini’s best sculptures and fine paintings by Caravaggio, Titian, Raphael and many others, all set in a gorgeous palace. The building was closed for many years during reconstruction but is now in perfect condition. Because the museum is so popular, you need to go on-line for reservations, requesting entry at the 9:00 a.m. opening, if you are following this schedule.

The museum is on the edge of town, so the best approach is by taxi, especially because we are visiting so many far-flung destinations today, this is a taxi day for sure.

If you are taking a more leisurely approach to the schedule, spreading this itinerary over several days, and you really feel like walking, it takes at least 45 minutes from Piazza Navona. You could take a short-cut from Piazza di Spagna by entering the Spagna metro station next to the Spanish Steps, but don’t get on the train. Follow the interior walkways and escalators up the hill, which brings you in 15 minutes to the top of Via Veneto. From here it is another 600 meters to the museum: walk into the park, turn right at the first main path and stroll through this lovely green garden straight to the museum.

The Gallery is housed in a former palace built early in the 17th century for Scipione Borghese, a wealthy Cardinal and nephew to Pope Paul V. Cardinal and Pope derived from a noble 13th century Italian dynasty which made its fortune as Sienese merchants. The Cardinal was a great patron of the arts, especially fond of his favorite sculptor Bernini, whom he commissioned to create several wonderful statues, including the amazing Apollo and Daphne, done by the artist in his early 20s (1622-25) and on display here ever since. The other great work by Bernini at the Borghese is the determined David, reputedly a self-portrait, with sling in hand ready to slay Goliath.

NAVIGATING TIP: It only takes one hour to appreciate the collection if you follow these navigating tips. Most of Bernini’s statues and many other wonderful pieces are exhibited on the ground floor, where visits normally begin. The Gallery attempts to prevent overcrowding with admissions by reservations only, but unfortunately each reserved group is admitted all at once. Expect a small stampede with everybody in the way and some difficulty getting to the artworks. The easy solution: enter with the crowd but immediately head for the staircase at the back of the ground floor, then walk up to the second floor and begin your visit there before the crowd, busy browsing downstairs, arrives. It will be extra effective if you have entered upon opening at 9:00 a.m. as suggested. This way you can have the upstairs gallery pretty much to yourself, enjoy its superb collection of paintings and sculpture for about 30 minutes, then return to the ground floor for leisurely viewing when crowd begins arriving upstairs. This contrarian path does not matter since the artworks are not arranged in any special chronological order.

Upstairs in the main room, you will find two portrait busts of Cardinal Borghese by Bernini, also his Pluto and Prosperina, in which the underworld god abducts the struggling Prosperina, his fingers sinking into her flesh. There is quite a story about why we have two busts that look alike. When you examine the forehead of the Cardinal in each piece closely, you will see a crack across the brow in one of them -- a flaw that appeared in the marble just as Bernini was finishing the piece. The Cardinal was one of his most important patrons, deserving of perfection, so the artist immediately began carving the second bust, which is otherwise identical. Notice the half-buttoned garment in both, a favorite trick of Bernini.

This main gallery also displays a small terra-cotta statue of Louis XIV on horseback, a study Bernini did for the life-size bronze statue of the French king which stands outside of the Louvre Museum today. Another curious item here is the horizontal, round marble statue of two little frolicking youngsters, the Goat Amalthea with Infant Jupiter and Faun, carved by Bernini at age 17. But the best statues by the master await downstairs.

The most famous painting on the second floor is a large, colorful work by Titian, Sacred and Profane Love (1514), presenting a balance of earthly and heavenly desires as symbolized by the naked Venus opposite a lushly-dressed Venetian lady posing in front of a luminous colorful landscape. One could argue that this painting is equal in value to all of the other artworks inside combined, including the palace itself: in 1899 the Rothschilds made such an offer to purchase it.

Great paintings on the other side of the second floor include two by Raphael and fine pieces by Pinturicchio, Botticelli, Fra Bartolomeo, Annibale Caracci, Cranach, Dürer, and more in beautifully decorated rooms with wonderful painted ceilings.

Having absorbed the upstairs collection in relative peace, walk back down to the ground floor which by now has emptied, its visitors heading upstairs, allowing you to beat the crowd once again.

Now you can appreciate several large paintings by Caravaggio and a nude statue by Canova of Napoleon’s sister, Pauline Bonaparte, who married into the Borghese family and lived here in the early 19th century. The statue was somewhat scandalous, exhibiting the wealthy aristocrat in all her beauty, but she loved it so much that she placed the life-sized image on a rotating base that slowly turned to provide the viewer with all angles of her shapely body. She preferred to show it at night with candles to enhance the buttery smooth texture of her marble skin, and the seemingly soft cushions upon which she reclined.

With the crowds gone you can have several of Bernini’s masterpieces all to yourself. In the back corner of the museum you will be thrilled by one of the most dramatic and most beautiful statues ever created, Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne, showing the God Apollo trying to seduce Daphne. She wanted no part of him and ran away, begging assistance from the gods who turned her into a laurel bush, with her fingers sprouting leaves, toes becoming roots and bark starting to cover her body.

This one statue of Apollo and Daphne is worth your visit to the museum, but as you see there are many other rewards here for you, including finally the great entrance gallery with its impressive ceiling mural.

Next destination is the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. You can ask the Borghese Museum ticket desk to call a taxi for you, or try and flag one down on the adjacent street, which could take a while. Alternatively take a 15-minute peaceful stroll, 600 meters through the lovely green park in front of the museum, the Borghese Gardens. This garden route exits through a gate in the Aurelian Walls, constructed late in the 3rd century to deflect the barbarian invasions, reaching the top of Via Veneto where you will find a taxi stand next to the Marriott Hotel.

Have a brief look at Via Veneto, an upscale street which does not require much further examination.

(If you don’t feel like going to the Basilica you could just grab a taxi to wherever...or you could walk back down to the Spanish Steps: follow the signs at the top of Via Veneto leading downhill through the series of escalators, walkways and stairs to the Spanish Steps, which takes about 15 minutes and places you right into action central, surrounded by shops, restaurants and a thousand Romans beginning their evening stroll. It is a rather bizarre route through various underground tunnels and empty hallways, but it does deliver you to Spagna efficiently. However, you will find the remaining afternoon sights to be very worthwhile, as you can see from our following description and pictures.)

SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE

Santa Maria Maggiore is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, among the oldest and most important churches in Rome. It is one of the four papal Basilicas of the city, enjoying the privilege of extraterritoriality, which means that it belongs to the Vatican nation and is not part of Italy. Only the Pope or his representative can say mass at the main altar.

This church was first built between 430 and 490 and retains the original core structure, making it one of the world’s oldest Catholic churches. It is designed in the ancient Roman Basilica style (dating back to the days of the Roman empire) when basilicas were used for nonreligious purposes like social gatherings and meetings. Early Christians adopted the form and this building was constructed specifically as a church in that ancient Basilica style.

The coffered ceiling is covered with gold brought back by the early Spanish conquistadors, similar to what you may have seen if you got to St. John Lateran previously.

Perhaps the most precious works of art inside are the series of 36 mosaic panels dating back to the fifth century: they run all around the church and across the arch, depicting scenes from the Old Testament and Genesis. In front are two spectacular side chapels you must enter to fully appreciate.

Borghese Chapel on the left is a masterpiece with its conglomeration of marble architecture, statues and altars surmounted by a most beautiful dome; it looks like a church in itself but is just a side chapel of the Basilica. This chapel contains wonderful statues of earlier popes accompanied by divine stucco angels on the lintel around the chapel.

Over the apse behind the main altar, you will see a wonderful golden mosaic dating back to the 13th century: it depicts a large Christ and scenes from the Bible -- a remarkably well-preserved work of art.

Sistine Chapel on the right side is even more spectacular, designed by Domenico Fontana, who also helped with St. John Lateran. Not the famous chapel at the Vatican which was named after Pope Sixtus IV, this Sistine was built for Pope Sixtus V, who is buried inside. Also note the large statue of Philip IV of Spain in the entryway that was designed by Bernini.

Continue to your third destination for this day with a rewarding visit to the Basilica of St. John Lateran, taking another rejuvenating taxi ride, in a straight 1.5 kilometer route along Via Merulana.