Galleria Borghese: The Gem of Rome

I haven't had much time to post but my favorite part of Rome was visiting Galleria Borghese. We were not allowed to take any photographs inside the villa so I will try my best to describe how amazing the villa was. The villa was by a cardinal in the late 1800s and he absolutely loved art. He filled his entire villa with works of art and it was the first museum opened to the public because the Cardinal loved art and wanted to make sure he could share it with everyone else.

I am usually not a fan of ornate artwork and gold and intricate carvings but this villa was absolutely amazing. You have to have a reservation to enter so Doug and I used our Roma passes and had the concierge at the hotel call and reserve us a 9:00 am time (when the museum opens). It was the best decision ever, we had almost the entire villa to ourselves, there were only about a dozen or so people.

I have never seen so many beautiful decorated ceilings and the Bernini sculptures were absolutely amazing. To imagine ancient sculptors carving into marble and stone and making these beautiful sculptures that looked like they were molded out of clay, it was absolutely amazing. The Bernini sculptures were by far my absolute favorite. I cannot do them justice by describing them, you really have to see them for yourself. From the curve of the Princess's back to the sculpture of Daphne the wood nymph turning into a laurel tree, I felt like I was there watching the myth unfold before my very eyes. Galleria Borghese is a site, no one should miss if they are in Rome. It really is a gem.