Villa Borghese
Villa Borghese is the most beautiful green area in Rome, situated right in the city centre, it houses many villas and fountains hidden along the streets, immersed in a charming landscape created following the in English-style models of parks and gardens. The district surrounding Villa Borghese extends from the beginning of Via Nomentana and down west to Piazza del Popolo nearby the Navona area, having Piazza di Spagna square as its fulcrum.
The gardens are accessible from Via Veneto, starting from Piazza Barberini – few steps away from Trevi’s Fountain – and stretching its sinuous shape though the residential area packed with restaurants, pubs and café which made the history of the “Dolce Vita”, the dandy Italian lifestyle depicted by director Federico Fellini in his internationally famous movie of 1960.
The neighborhood is quiet and relaxed, being one of the wealthiest districts in Rome, with the only exception of the chaotic Via Veneto, of course, and Piazza di Spagna square, nearby Via del Babuino street, rich of high fashion shops and ateliers, a destination for celebrities and tourists coming from all over the World.
Villa Borghese and Via Veneto highlights
The gardens of Villa Borghese constitute the main attraction of the area. Formerly a private Villa built around the Pincian hill (Il Pincio, in Italian), which now hosts a wonderful viewpoint over Piazza del Popolo square, it was renovated and publicly open in early 1900. Along with many fountains and artificial ponds, the Villa features also several palaces housing galleries and exhibitions, such as the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna (National Modern Art Gallery) offering an interesting retrospective look at Italian contemporary artistic movements, the imposing Galleria Borghese, famous for its collection of paintings and sculptures from the XVI century, and Villa Medici, nearby Piazza di Spagna, house of the French Academy where many expositions dedicated to contemporary art take place.
The Spanish Steps are known around the globe for being the centre of fashion in Italy. A monumental stairway leading up to the church Trinità dei Monti, a late Renaissance church with the symmetric bell towers framing the entrance.
A must see is the ugliest fountain of Rome, that ironically gives the name to one of the most fashionable streets in the World (together with the near Via dei Condotti), Via del Babuino, twinned to Madison Avenue in New York since 2002. The fountain, dated 1571, bears a sculpture of god Silenus, so grotesque and deformed that Roman (quite known for their sharp sense of humor) started to call it “baboon” (babuino, in Italian), comparing it to a monkey.
But the wide, spectacular square at the Pincian hill’s feet will reveal such an unforgettable and breathtaking experience. Piazza del Popolo is the starting point of Via del Corso, the long straight street leading to the Altar of the Fatherland and the Colosseum area.
Here in the square lies the monumental church of Santa Maria del Popolo, built during the Middle-Age (X and XII century) preserving sculptures of Bernini and Caravaggio’s paintings.
An area worth while exploring from one of our Villa Borghese apartments!
