SPQR Fellowship

The Borghese Gallery contains an art collection that rivals all of the top museums. It is a wonderful treasure of Rome showcasing Caravaggio, Bernini, and the Baroque Rome. I would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Rome!

In order to ensure your entrance, you have to collect your ticket 30 minutes before your scheduled entrance time. There are two parts to the gallery – an upstairs painting gallery, and the main, ground floor gallery with paintings and sculpture. You are only allowed 30 minutes upstairs, and two hours maximum in the gallery. Everyone was lined up well before the entry time, and it was like we were kids in line at the candy store. It was quite exciting!

I was amazed when I entered. The specifics about timing and trying to allot yourself the correct amount of time in each room without missing anything was somewhat nerve-racking at first. Rick Steves recommended starting in the painting gallery, and I did just that. I saw an incredible Raphael painting, Deposition, as well as several Caravaggios. I was enthralled by the way that Carvaggio used light in his paintings to really create a dramatic effect. The audio guide that I used also mentioned one painting in which Caravaggio was said to have painted by moonlight. Apparently, it was an old thought that painters did their best work this way. Again, the way that light was used as a tool and method were quite inspiring.

The upstairs was wonderful, and the ground floor was icing on the cake. There were several Bernini sculptures, and they were magical. My favorite was Apollo and Daphne, where Daphne begins to turn into a tree as Appollo chases her. I marveled at the way the thin leaves were sculpted – it was hard to believe that they were made of stone. The entire sculpture was an entrancing, 3D experience. It begged the viewer to move completely around the sculpture to truly appreciate everything that Bernini was trying to communicate.

My other favorite sculpture was Bernini’s David. You could feel the expression on his face, and I remember being amazed at the rope detail from the sling which David is carrying.

I was quite moved by everything I saw. Two hours is definitely not enough to see everything. Everywhere you look, on every wall, floor, ceiling, there is something incredible to see! Two hours covers only the highlights, and the highlights were sculpture that I will never forget!

(I have no images for this post – cameras were not allowed inside and since we were only allowed 2 hours, I used the entire time to try to observe as much of the artwork as possible)