Rome Hotels near Borghese Gallery

History of the Galleria Borghese Collection

In 1613 and 1614, the architect Flaminio Ponzio constructed a Pincian Hill villa according to specifications given him by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, a patron of both sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini and painter Caravaggio.

A connoisseur of both classical and modern art, Scipione Borghese had accumulated by the early 1600s the largest single collection of Caravaggio’s work. Borghese’s avarice, when it came to his art acquisitions, knew no limits

In 1607 he had the Cavalier d’Arpini, a respected painter whom the Borghese family had patronized, arrested and sentenced to death because d’Arpini had a collection of forbidden antique arquebusses. d’Arpini, however, also had a collection of one hundred and six paintings, among them several Caravaggios. To save his life, d’Arpini signed his collection over to the Papacy, which three months later transferred it to Scipione Borghese.

Borghese, by the time of his death in 1633, had an art collection to rival any in the world, and it remained intact at his villa until the Emperor Napoleon’s sister Pauline married Prince Camillo Borghese in 1807. The following year the Prince sold the Roman classical sculptures, including the Borghese Gladiator, to his brother-in-law. Napoleon gave them to the Louvre, where they are on exhibit to this day.

The Galleria Borghese Today

In 1902, the Italian government bought the remaining collection and the villa and grounds, and the Galleria Borghese became one of Rome’s most important public art museums. Following extensive remodeling in the 1990s, the Galleria Borghese reopened in 1997.

Visitors today can view the Galleria Borghese’s masterworks like Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne, Caravaggio’s Jerome--only one of its six Caravaggios--and Titian’s Sacred and Profane Love. One of the most popular pieces, ironically, is Canova’s Venus Victorious, for which Napoleon’s sister Pauline modeled reclining on a chaise with only a drape about her midsection.

The Galleria Borghese is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Tickets are sold for two-hour tours, and only 300 visitors are allowed in the Galleria Borghese at any time.

Accommodations Close to the Galleria Borghese

Refurbished in 2004, and situated in its own verdant park with outdoor pool, the centrally-located five-star Hotel Aldrovandi Palace Rome stands between the Villa Borghese gardens and the Borghese gallery.