Discover Baroque Rome!

Today is the day for Baroque splendour in Rome with a trip to the Borghese Gallery.  Bernini has been my latest art crush since the movie "Angels and Demons" came out in 2009.  The movie is based on the Dan Brown novel and features the works of Gian Lorenzo Bernini.   
TIP #1: RESERVATIONS FOR THE BORGHESE GALLERY ARE A MUST.  For reservations go to galleriaborghese.it   We saw many people who did not have a reserved a spot, get turned away at the door.  I  made reservations in advance from Canada for a time slot of 11:00-1:00. 

We looked up the distance from the Campo di Fiori flat to the Borghese gardens in the North part of old Rome.  The gardens lie just past the Spanish steps; about 20-30 minutes of walking...no problem, right?  WRONG. The park was that far; but then the Borghese villa was another 20+ minutes walk into the park!  TIP #2: TAKE A TAXI WHEN YOU NEED TO BE SOMEWHERE ON TIME IN ROME.   I have learned this lesson on this trip to Rome. Traffic issues abound in the Eternal City.   Mind you, the Italians seem to believe that a ticket time is quite flexible; we are not in Germany after all😉 

Piazza del Popolo

We scurried through ancient Rome, power walking our way past the monuments that have become so familiar to us now.  We headed north-west of the Spanish Steps until we came to a huge grande piazza; it was Piazza del Popolo or the People's Square.  A huge obelisk that was moved from the Circus Maximus marks the centre of the piazza.  This was the start (or end) point of the Via Flaminia, the most important Roman road from Rome to Rimini on the North Adriatic coast where Giulia lives.  Before trains were invented, this was the main gate where people entered Rome; through the ancient porta or gate, Porta Flaminia now called the Porta del Popolo.

Walking through Borghese Gardens

There is a staircase that leads up from Piazza del Popolo to the Borghese Gardens, which offers beautiful views of Rome.  There is another entrance to the Borghese gardens just past the Spanish Steps at the ancient city gate of Porta Pinciana, which is a bit closer to the Galleria Borghese. The Borghese gardens are so beautiful.  Roads lined with huge shady pine trees and lots of Roman families out rollerblading, jogging and pushing babies in prams.  Very different from what the gardens were created for!  In 1605, Cardinal Scipione Borghese (nephew to the Pope) created these lavish gardens out of his vineyards to be his villa suburbana or "party villa" in town.
I would have loved to explore the park in depth but that will have to wait until next visit-we had a date with Bernini. 

Pluto With His "Bride"

Finally, we spotted the great white villa and slipped inside to join the line up for reserved tickets. The Borghese Gallery seems to care about preserving the Villa and the experience of its patrons, rather than the $ it brings in (unlike the Vatican museum).  Only 360 people can enter the Borghese Gallery per time-slot, so it is not overcrowded inside and you get the space needed to appreciate the art (so you have 2 hours....AND GO!!!)  
The main floor holds the sculptures in sumptuous frescoed surroundings, while the upstairs is the Pinacoteca or painting gallery.
What I saw next when I stepped into the main entry hall made my heart rate jump!  It was SO over-the-top beautiful, and every room you passed through got better and better!  The Gallery Borghese holds a collection of statues and paintings that were made for the exact spot it occupies today when you look at it.  This is called "in situ" art. The rich Borghese family had commissioned works by Bernini, Canova and Caravaggio and we get to see it all in its original setting.  I compare it to looking at an animal in the wilderness vs. looking at it in the zoo.

Bernini's Appolo and Daphne

The Bernini statues took my breath away...to think he was in his 20's when he created these statues for the Borghese villa!  You can get so close to the statues to see all the smallest details-I was in heaven.  Bernini was the first to really master the "animated statue".  Rather than a stiff pose to tell a story, it is like Bernini took a freeze frame of a movie; hair flying and fabric billowing in the wind.  He also manages to cover up all the "naughty bits" so his creations would be deemed modest enough for the day, even though they were still very provocative for Counter-Reformation times.
The only disappointing thing was that photos were not allowed in the gallery (I took these photos here off of Wikipedia).  I had read on the Borghese Gallery website that photos without flash were allowed, but the security guards and staff were saying "NO photos" to all the tourists.  This didn't stop most people from snapping photos, and every time a flash went off I wanted to slap their iPhones to the floor!
The painting gallery upstairs is so good too!  There were some early paintings by Bernini as a teenager, some Raphael, Correggio and Titian's gorgeous Sacred and Profane Love.  But for me, the Caravaggio room on the main floor; was amazing.  Here at the Borghese, is the greatest collection of Caravaggio's work anywhere.  This guy was a dark and broody rock star of the late 1500's and early 1600's painting; the Jim Morrison of his day...

Your ticket gives you two hours in the Borghese Gallery; which is plenty of time.  Trust me, I'm the one in the group who likes to look at EVERY piece of art, and I found 2 hours to be perfect. 






We decided to leave the Borghese gardens and search out lunch at a modern Roman Osteria.  We headed to a really cool restaurant called San Marco, which was absolutely fabulous.  It is just outside the ancient city walls to the east of Borghese gardens.  Modern, great Roman specialities like a frittura di verdure miste (mix of deep fried vegetables) and Roman pasta dishes, all washed down with house wine.  Very moderate prices too...it really hit the spot.

Creep-tastic Art

Now it was time to divide up our little group and venture out on our own.  The boys decided to walk over to the Capuchin Crypt and learn about the Capuchin order of monks.  This is where the word "cappuccino" comes from; it means "a hood", and the Capuchin friars traditionally wear brown hooded robes.  The downstairs crypt and six side chapel are all decorated in BONES. Yes, dead Capuchin friar bones dating back to the 1500's arranged like pre-schooler pasta art to remind us:  eventually, time runs out for all of us. Liam thought it was kind of cool, yet creepy to make art out of bones. I don't think it will really catch on in Drumbo, though. 





Giulia and I went to visit our friend Erika dell' Acqua, an ATS® belly dancer and teacher in Rome. We had a lovely time at her house, drinking chai tea and talking.  We danced together in her home studio, with the light of the rising full moon streaming through the windows. In midst of dancing to a mesmerizing song, it occurred to me: centuries of women have danced together under the full moon of Rome, and I felt so connected to them through time and tradition.  This is why the "Eternal City" feels so eternal to me...and magical.

We all gathered back together at the Campo di Fiori flat and drank a bottle of Est, Est, Est (a local white wine) and nibbled on cinghiale salami while the moon continued to rise high over ROME. We talked late into the night about our dreams and plans for the future. This may be our last night together on our Roman Holiday, but the seeds are planted for a future of Italian "Dolce far Niente".

To us, this is the good life.

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