The collection of the Galleria Borghese, which was defined as "the most beautiful collection in the world", is still collected in the place that was created and designed for that collection - the Borghese Gallery.

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When in Rome you should definitely visit the Borghese Gallery, with its impressive collection of art, defined as “the most beautiful collection in the world“.

The museum, housed in , is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 7pm. Booking is mandatory.

Built in 1613 by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, the Borghese Gallery houses the private collection of the Cardinal, who had a marvellous collection of precious works of art, both ancient and modern. The Cardinal’s private collection was created starting in 1607, who initiated a systematic acquisition of artworks, making it one of the largest ones at the time.

The first collection was made up of paintings by , and Titian while the collection of ancient sculptures, another fundamental element capable of giving an aura of ideal universality to the artistic collections, had been constantly enriched. Inside the gallery, you will find a substantial part of the Borghese collection of paintings, sculptures and antiquities.

Scipione Borghese was an early patron of and an avid collector of works by Caravaggio. He was particularly interested in antique sculptures, but was also driven enough to patronise modern artists and was commissioned work by Caravaggio, Bernini, Domenichino and Rubens.

Walking inside the Borghese Gallery is a unique once-in-a-lifetime journey into the world of some of the most universal artists of all time, including Bernini’s most famous masterpieces:

As you move from one section to the other, marvel at Bernini’s details. A particular artwork to set your eyes on is Ratto di Proserpina, where the hands of the God touching Proserpina’s skin actually seem as if they are sinking into her flesh.

INSPIRATION

The Borghese Gallery also hosts Rome’s largest collection of works, including David with the Head of Goliath, Madonna and Child with Saint Anne (Madonna dei Palafrenieri), Saint Jerome and the Boy with basket of fruit.

Apart from being exceptional for its splendid collection (including masterpieces by Antonio Canova, Titian, Brueghel, and many others), the Galleria Borghese is perfect in the coherence of its decorative ensemble that implies antique marbles, inlays, mosaics, stuccoes and inserts. 

The Borghese Gallery regularly hosts temporary exhibitions that dialogue with its permanent collection, often pairing old masters with contemporary art. Among the most talked-about in recent years were Damien Hirst’s Archaeology Now in 2021, which placed more than 80 of the British artist’s works among the ancient sculptures, and Guido Reni a Roma. Danza e paesaggio, which followed that winter and explored the birth of landscape painting in the early 17th century. Check our guide to the to see what’s on at the gallery during your visit.

The Borghese Gallery works differently from most , and it catches many visitors out. Booking is mandatory for every ticket, including free ones, and entry runs in timed two-hour slots capped at 180 people. There is no walk-up ticket in practice: slots regularly sell out weeks, sometimes months, ahead, especially at weekends and during temporary exhibitions.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 7pm, closed Mondays. Slots start on the hour from 9am to 5pm, with a final shorter slot at 5.45pm.

Tickets: €16 plus a compulsory €2 booking fee, so €18 in total. The late slot costs less. Under 18s enter free but still pay the €2 booking fee.

Free entry: the first Sunday of the month is free, but booking is still required and those tickets are released only ten days in advance and sell out immediately.

Good to know: large bags and backpacks are not allowed, only small bags up to 21 by 15 cm, and a cloakroom is available at the entrance. A limited number of last-minute tickets is sold at the box office about 30 minutes after each slot begins, but they are never guaranteed.

How to get there: Piazzale Scipione Borghese 5, inside Villa Borghese. Metro line A to Barberini or Spagna, then a walk through the park, or bus to Pinciana/Museo Borghese.

Address:
Piazzale Scipione Borghese, 5
(Villa Borghese)

Opening times:
Tue-Sun, 9am-7 pm (last entrance 5.45pm)

Reservation required

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