Villa Borghese

After a good night’s sleep, despite Trastevere’s daily night life and the bells of the Santa Maria basilica tolling the quarter hour, we woke with renewed energy, ready to take on another day.

Today was about two things, three if you count dropping off some more washing to the local lavanderia: a relaxing morning with no tour deadlines, and a 3pm entry to the Villa Borghese, a stunning gallery across the other side of Rome that used to be the house of the Borghese family, including the most famous of that illustrious name, Cardinal Scipio Borghese.

As a way to demonstrate their earthly power and influence, Scipio Borghese became a collector of ancient Roman art and Renaissance art. His palazzo was turned into a gallery befitting the most extraordinary collection of ancient and Renaissance art that I’ve ever seen; the palazzo itself an objet d’art. Every room has a ceiling and walls painted with scenes from antiquity or Biblical themes much in the manner of the Sistine Chapel. There is trompe l’oeil everywhere you look and sometimes, I had to peer really hard to work out whether I was looking at a painting or a three dimensional model. Every lintel over every doorway is festooned in marble shells or statues of gods or goddesses covered in gold bling. It is completely over the top, unliveable, even for a family as rich as the Borgheses. But as a gallery, it works.

We had a lovely stroll in the parkland surrounding the Villa before we entered. Our time was 3pm and we there ready to take our allotted space. There are only so many tickets for each time-slot so they control the flow much better than other galleries and museums where they just let in everyone all at one time. It is difficult for me to talk about any of the art in detail, but I know Chris was very attached Bernini’s David, a marble statue of the young man just about to let loose his sling against Goliath. There is a look of intense focus on his face I suppose in concentration on where to target the stone.

For me, I loved Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne. Apollo is intent on taking her, as I understand the story, but Daphne, a nymph, flees from him and is turned into a tree, possibly by her mother Gaia, in order to save her from the ravenous clutches of the god. Looking at how her hands are sprouting into branches is really exceptional sculpture. And Bernini was such a young man, a mere youth. What a talent. I’ll leave the photos to speak for themselves.

A taxi home was worth the fare for the air-conditioned comfort, followed by a quick beer at Caramelle, then a rest at home before dinner. Dinner was at a local restaurant, Carlo Menta, in one of the many vicolos around us, where I enjoyed an excellent boscaioloa and a nice drop of vino bianco. We walked the area after our meal and ended up back in Santa Maria Piazza where once again we partook of our favourite gelato store whose owner now knows us and offered Chris a free flavour tonight. In the tourist shops, we stopped in, and I bought two Italian themed T shirts, nothing over the top, simple, yet entirely fashionable for the average person who is falling in love with Italy. Another little shop, and we bought a couple of little notebooks with beautiful local cover designs and a new glasses case for Chris who purchased some sun glasses yesterday.

On our way home, we stopped in at the piazza at the other end of our street, Piazza Trilussa, that of the steps and fountain from my first post on Italian soil. There was a Dublin bi-lingual busker performing and he had the crowd on the steps and in the surrounding piazza in his hand. He really was fabulous, and we sang and clapped along despite not knowing the words of the songs. The main thing was that the crowd did know the words and sang heartily and even danced.

Tomorrow is our last day in Rome. Wow. Leg 1 of our journey just about complete. We head out on Sunday morning for the south.Baca lagi