Rome - Borghese Gallery - Must See?

[chicago]

We'll be in Italy for 16 nights and already have tickets to the Uffizi and Accademia in Florence. I am hesitant to plan for any more museums while in Italy. To be honest, we aren't big art or museum people. I guess what I mean to say is I'd like to see SOME, but I get a bit bored after a while.

A friend told us the Borghese is a must see, but part of me thinks we'd be better off strolling the streets, eating gelato.

What did you think of the Borghese?

[Deleted]

I would definitely think so. I go in for a visit almost every time I'm in Rome, I adore admiring Bernini's Apollo e Dafne and David. Paolina Borghese's sculpture is also wonderful to see. The palace and its gardens alone are a pleasure to visit and from there walking the rest of the park (Villa Borghese) is also easy and pleasant, weather permitting. Enjoy!

eta - from there you can expand the visit and connect to Via Veneto, where you can grab a posh gelato at the Cafe de Paris. Then continue on to the historical center and roam the street like you mentioned.

[ktwed09]

It sounds like you and your H are very similar to me and mine (I wouldn't say we're big art/museum people either). On our European trip last summer we visited the Borghese Gallery, and found it enjoyable. It's small, so it felt "manageable" to us. I think we often get overwhelmed with larger museums because there is so much to see and we're not always sure how to narrow it down. As a PP said, the location in the park is lovely, and I felt that we saw another side of Rome that we probably would have missed had we not gone to the Gallery.

That being said, Rome was the first stop on our trip, and so the Borghese Gallery was one of our first museums of the trip (I think we had only been to the Vatican beforehand). By the end of our trip, we were starting to get burnt out on museums, so maybe we wouldn't have enjoyed it as much if we had gone at the end?

I would definitely recommend doing the audio tour if you do decide to go. We find that we enjoy museums and art much more if we have a little bit of guidance, as opposed to just wandering through aimlessly.

Enjoy your trip! I love thinking back on our adventure last summer!

[knittable]

I liked it more than the Uffizi. I really like sculpture, and am not much for dark paintings. I spent a long time marvelling at Daphne turning into a tree, and proserpena really shoving pluto's face (I'm no art historian, I had to google to figure out the names, and I'd combined the rape of the sabines with pluto and proserpina)

My advice, look up what they have, and check them out online. If you like the look of them online, go and see in person.

[chicago]

May 23, 2012 18:38:16 GMT -5 @knittable said:

I liked it more than the Uffizi. I really like sculpture, and am not much for dark paintings. I spent a long time marvelling at Daphne turning into a tree, and proserpena really shoving pluto's face (I'm no art historian, I had to google to figure out the names, and I'd combined the rape of the sabines with pluto and proserpina)

My advice, look up what they have, and check them out online. If you like the look of them online, go and see in person.

Good idea. We are also planning to go to the Vatican and we only have 2 full days in Rome. I'll check it out online and gauge our interest level.

[Knittable]

Oh, two full days, skip it and go to the forum instead. One day vatican, one day colliseum and forum.

[PandaPear]

It was one of my favorite parts of my Italy trip, which was unexpected surprise.

We allocated 1/2 day to each: Borghese Gallery, Forum/Col, Vatican. In general we did one attraction in the morning, had lunch/walked around and ate. then did another in the afternoon.

It worked well for us, but we aren't the type to linger for hours at the attractions. I also found making reservations was key to being able to see/do attractions quickly without waiting in line, etc.

[Susie]

May 23, 2012 21:33:43 GMT -5 @Knittable said:

Oh, two full days, skip it and go to the forum instead. One day vatican, one day colliseum and forum.

I agree. The Vatican's hard to beat, and the Forum and Coliseum are pretty singular.

I'm not much of an art afficionado either, and by the time we got to Rome (after already having been in Florence, Venice, and several other cities), I was just about maxed out. Especially since we were already doing the Vatican while in Rome.

I felt a little guilty about not going to every museum in Rome that I possibly could, because you can find someone (lots of someones) who will wax poetic about every single one of them. But if it's not your thing, pushing it won't be fun.

[atouchofklasse]

May 23, 2012 18:38:16 GMT -5 @knittable said:

I liked it more than the Uffizi. I really like sculpture, and am not much for dark paintings. I spent a long time marvelling at Daphne turning into a tree, and proserpena really shoving pluto's face (I'm no art historian, I had to google to figure out the names, and I'd combined the rape of the sabines with pluto and proserpina)

My advice, look up what they have, and check them out online. If you like the look of them online, go and see in person.

I agree with this. IMO it's much better an experience than the Uffizi.

The sculpture of Apollo Chasing Daphne is my favorite of all time. I have to see it every time I'm in Rome. Gives me goosebumps just thinking about it, and I am no art expert.

I think it's a must-see.

[Deleted]

I'd rather stroll the streets and eat.