If you want to spend a tranquil day surrounded by greenery and valuable works of art, we advise you to visit Villa Borghese. Thanks to its central position, the Villa is a perfect place for a walk in Rome. It is surrounded by the Aurelian Walls that go from Porta Pinciana to Piazzale Flaminio and round the Salario and Pinciano districts.

There are various entrances including one in Porta Pinciana, Piazzale Flaminio, Piazza del Popolo, Viale delle Belle Arti, near the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, Via Mercadante and Via Pinciana, near the Museum and the Galleria Borghese.

Camillo Borghese, who became pontiff in 1605 with the name of Paolo V, inherited, along with his brothers, an old vineyard on the Torto wall. The area was enlarged when they bought surrounding lands and it became an immense estate, of almost 80 hectares.

The villa was built on this vast piece of land thanks to the work of the Cardinal Scipione Borghese, grandson of the Pope, who made it the Park of the Casino Borghese in which he gathered the precious collection of works of art, now partly displayed in the current Museo Borghese and in the Galleria Borghese, inside the Casino itself. It was bought by the King of Italy, Umberto I in 1902, who donated it to the city, and it became a public park.

If you choose to enter in Piazzale Flaminio, this can be easily reached by the A metro line. This is the place to see the Greek Propilei made by Canina in 1827. Canina also built the nearby, Fountain di Esculapio, at the end of Viale Washington, near the artificial lake, around which is the famous Lake Garden, with the little, temple of Esculapio in the centre, by the Asprucci.

Viale del Lago leads to Viale Pietro Canonica, and from here, go to the Museo Canonica or Fortezzuola, as this museum is called because of its distinctive shape. It is the museum of a house where the works of the Piedmontese sculptor are kept, who was also a painter and a musician. Just opposite this distinctive building is the beautiful Piazza di Siena, built on a model of Roman ampitheatres and best known for the horse race that takes place here every year at the end of April.

Continuing along Viale Canonica, you will see the ruins of the temple of Faustina, near the Casino Broghese, inside which is the Museum and the Borghese Gallery. These house works of incredible value that the Cardinale Scipione, lover and collector of precious marble, sculpture and paintings collected in his life, including works by Raffaello, Caravaggio and Botticelli. The collection was enlarged over time by other collections, such as that of Olimpia Aldobrandini. Well worth a visit.

From here, turn right into Viale dell’Uccelliera to reach the Zoological Gardens or Bioparco as it is now known. It is a large area that houses over 200 species of animals who are left to roam free or are in special cages. From here, you can visit the Museo Civico di Zoologia, where it is also possible to come in through another entrance, at number 18, Via Aldrovandi.

Number 16 of this road is the African Museum. Go down the lovely, Viale Aldrovandi, surrounded by sophisticated villas, and you will find yourself opposite the Palazzo delle Belle Arti, home to the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna. After a visit to the Gallery, this route, which included many, prestigious works of art, comes to an end. However, Villa Borghese and the surrounding area has many other places of beauty that visitors can discover alone.