Galleria Borghese
Located in the lovely Villa Borghese Cardinal Scipione Borghese's 17th-century palace contains the family's private art collection. Although the villa is undergoing repairs, necessitating the closing of the upstairs painting galleries, a visit to the ground-floor sculpture galleries is a must. Here are Bernini's early sculptures, displayed as centerpieces of many of the rooms. Apollo and Daphne, as graceful as the wind blowing their hair, are convincingly real, despite Daphne's fingers and toes turning into the gnarled roots of the tree she is about to become on Apollo's touch. In the next room, David hurls his rock (the face is a Bernini self-portrait). In the entrance hall, you see the compelling Rape of Proserpina, with Pluto's fingers sunk in the her flesh: Such realism is disquieting. During renovations, visits are on the half hour and limited to 25 persons. The best strategy is to arrive around the half hour, then hope to wait only one-half hour for admittance.
Address:
Piazzale del Museo Borghese, off via Pinciano
Rome
Italy
Telephone: +39 (41) 854-8577