Villa Borghese gardens
Villa Borghese is a landscape garden in Rome, containing a number of buildings, museums and attractions. It is the third-largest public park in Rome, after the ones of the Villa Doria Pamphili and Villa Ada. The gardens were developed for the Villa Borghese Pinciana, built by the architect Flaminio Ponzio, developing sketches by Scipione Borghese, who used it as a villa suburbana, or party villa, at the edge of Rome, and to house his art collection. The gardens as they are now were remade in the late 19th century.
History
In 1605 Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V and patron of Bernini, began turning this former vineyard into the most extensive gardens built in Rome since Antiquity. The vineyard's site is identified with the gardens of Lucullus, the most famous in the late Roman republic. Domenico Savino da Montepulciano was responsible for the layout of the gardens.The Borghese Balustrade was crafted by G di Gincome and P. Massoni in 1618 for the south forecourt of the Casino Nobile. At the center opening there were two stone statues on top and fountains with shell-shaped basins below. The statues were a later addition from 1715 by Claude-Augustin Cayot. In 1882, President Chester A. Arthur appointed William Waldorf Astor Minister to Italy, a post he held until 1885. While living in Rome, Astor developed a lifelong passion for art and sculpture. In 1896, he purchased the balustrade and had it installed at his English estate Cliveden. It is a Grade II Listed Building. In 2004, a colony of small Mediterranean land snails of the species Papillifera bidens was discovered living on the Borghese Balustrade. Presumably, this species, new to the English fauna, was accidentally imported along with the balustrade in the late 19th century and managed to survive the intervening winters to the present day.
[Image:Rome-VillaBorghese-TempleEsculape.jpg|thumb| Temple of [Aesculapius (Villa Borghese)|Temple of Aesculapius] (19th century) ]
In the 18th century Marcantonio Borghese, 5th Prince of Sulmona transformed the villa's gardens from a formal garden architecture into an English landscape garden. Architect Antonio Asprucci and his son Mario worked on landscaping the villa's gardens, from 1782 for over twenty years. They placed statues around the park and started the construction of the Garden of the Lake and Piazza di Siena. They built the Temple of Aesculapius in the ionic style in the center of the lake between 1785 and 1792.
The Sea Horse Fountain was executed by Vincenzo Pacetti in 1791, based on a design by Christopher Unterberger. The Fountain of Venus was probably designed by Giovanni Vasanzio.
Marcantonio's sons, Camillo and Francesco Borghese expanded the park further.
The Villa Borghese gardens were long informally open, but was bought by the commune of Rome and given to the public in 1903. Since 1904 monuments depicting famous foreign personalities and writers such as Victor Hugo, have been placed along the avenues of the villa. The statue of Goethe was a gift to the city of Rome from Wilhelm II, German Emperor.
The large landscape park in the English taste contains several villas. The Spanish Steps lead up to this park, and there is another entrance at the Porte del Popolo by Piazza del Popolo. The Pincio, in the south part of the park, offers one of the greatest views over Rome.
Camillo Borghese threw grandiose shows and popular festivals, such as a ride in an air balloon from the Piazza di Siena. The first horse show was held at the Piazza di Siena in 1922. The Piazza di Siena hosted the equestrian dressage, individual jumping, and the jumping part of the eventing competition for the 1960 Summer Olympics.
Villas in the gardens
- Today the Galleria Borghese is housed in the Villa Borghese itself. The garden Casino Borghese, built on a rise above the Villa by the architect Giovanni Vasanzio, was set up by Camillo Borghese to contain sculptures by Bernini from the Borghese collection, including his David and his Daphne, and paintings by Titian, Raphael and Caravaggio
- The Villa Giulia adjoining the Villa Borghese gardens was built in 1551 – 1555 as a summer residence for Pope Julius III; now it contains the Etruscan Museum.
- The Villa Medici houses the French Academy in Rome, and the Fortezzuola a Gothic garden structure that houses a collection memorializing the academic modern sculptor Pietro Canonica. In the 1650s, Diego Velázquez painted several depictions of this Villa's garden casino festively illuminated at night. Before electricity, such torchlit illuminations carried an excitement hard to conceive today.
- Other villas scattered through the Villa Borghese gardens are remains of a world exposition in Rome in 1911.
- *The Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna located in its grounds has a collection of 19th- and 20th-century paintings emphasizing Italian artists.
- *Architecturally the most notable of the 1911 exposition pavilions is the English pavilion designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, now housing the British School at Rome.
Gardens
Giardino del LagoPiazzale Scipione Borghese Garden or Rear Garden of Casino NobileGiardini Segreti Giardini di Valle GiuliaParco dei DainiValle dei PlataniIt is located in Largo P. Picasso. It has remained more or less unchanged since the 17th century and is also known by the name of "Valle dei cani", because it is used as a play area for dogs. It consists, among other things, of platani planted by Cardinal Scipione.
Museums
Numerous museums are located inside or near the park:- The Galleria Borghese
- The Museo Canonica
- The Museo Carlo Bilotti
- The Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna
- The National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia
- The Museo Civico di Zoologia
Other points of interest
- The garden contains a replica of the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre built in 2003.
- Beside the 1911 Exposition's villas, there is the Exposition's Zoo, recently redesigned, with minimal caging, as the Bioparco, and the Zoological Museum. Nearby is the Casina di Raffaello playroom, which has crafts and reading rooms, and a space where children can dress up in royal outfits.
- In 1873 a hydrochronometer on the 1867 design of Gian Battista Embriaco, O.P. inventor and professor of the Roman Pontifical [University of Saint Thomas Aquinas|College of St. Thomas] was built in the gardens in emulation of the one at the College of St. Thomas. Another version stands in the gardens of the Pincian Hill. Embriaco had presented two prototypes of his invention at the Paris Universal Exposition in 1867 where it won prizes and great acclaim.
Flora
Below is the list of the main trees of Villa Borghese:And here is the list of herbaceous plants of Villa Borghese:
| Plant common name | Scientific name |
| Daisy | Bellis perennis |
| Flavagello | Ranunculus ficaria |
| Anemone | Anemone stellata hortensis |
| Marigold | Calendula arvensis |
| Asphodel | Asphodelus albus |
| Romulea | Romulea bubocondium |
| Hyacinth wild | Bellevalia ciliata |
| Ornithogalum | Ornithogallum umbellatum |
| Wild garlic | Allium neapolitanum |
| Greater hemlock | Conium maculatum |
| Orchid | Ophyx apifera |
| Aro or gigaro | Arum italicum |
| Cyclamen | Ciclamen neapolitanum |
| Periwinkle | Vinca major |
| Caper | Capparis spinosa |
| Polypodium | Polipodium vulgaris |
| Ferns | Anogramma leptophylla |
Fauna
located throughout the villa:| Animal common name | Scientific name |
| Blackbird | Turdus merula |
| Hooded crow | Corvus cornix |
| Jackdaw | Coloeus monedula |
| Cancellation | Sturnus vulgaris |
| House sparrow Great tit | Passer domesticus italiae Parus major |
| Robin | Erithacus rubecula |
| Finch | Fringilla coelebs |
| Wren | Troglodytes troglodytes |
| Goldfinch | Carduelis carduelis |
| Great Spotted Woodpecker | Dendrocopos major |
| Peregrine Falcon | Falco peregrinus |
| Kestrel | Falco tinnunculus |
| Owl | Athene noctua |
| Tawny Owl | Strix aluco |
Birdlife located in the small artificial lake:
| Animal common name | Scientific name |
| Geese | |
| Domestic duck | Anas platyrhynchos domesticus |
| Black-headed gull | Larus ridibundus |
| Herring gull | Larus cachinnans |
| Gadwall | Anas strepera |
| Mallard duck | Anas platyrhynchos |
| Cormorant | Phalacrocorax carbo |
| Gray Heron | Ardea cinerea |
| Moorhen | Gallinula chloropus |
Ichthyofauna:
| Animal common name | Scientific name |
| Largemouth bass | Micropterus salmoides |
| Bluegill | Lepomis gibbosus |
| Carp | Cyprinus carpio |
| Gambusie | Gambusia affinis holbrooki |
Mammals:
| Animal common name | Scientific name |
| Squirrel | Sciurus vulgaris |
| Black rat | Rattus rattus |
| Wild mouse | Apodemus sylvaticus |
| Hedgehog | Erinaceus europaeus |
Reptiles:
| Animal common name | Scientific name |
| Wall lizard | Podarcis muralis |
| Country lizard | Podarcis sicula |
| Gecko | Tarentola mauritanica |
| Turtle American swamp turtle | Trachemys scripta elegans |
| Pond turtle | Emys orbicularis |
| Biacco | Hierophis viridiflavus |
| Colubra of Aesculapius | Elaphe longissima |
Finally, among the xylophagous insects, it is worth mentioning the great capricorn beetle visible in late spring towards sunset on the tree trunks.
In popular culture
- The Villa's gardens feature in one of Ottorino Respighi's tone poem Pines of Rome
- The gardens are the setting of chapters 8–11 of Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Marble Faun
- The Villa's gardens are featured in the film of Muriel Spark's novel, The Driver's Seat.
- The Villa is referenced by Phil Collins in his 1996 song, Lorenzo.
- The gardens are featured in the "Rome Avanti" course in the video games Mario Kart Tour and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
- The Villa is mentioned in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s 1864 novel Notes from Underground.
Transport Links
- Flaminio – [Piazza del Popolo (Rome Metro)|Flaminio] and Spagna metro stations
- It can be reached from the Flaminio terminus of the tram
- It can be reached from the Valle Giulia terminus and from the Galleria Arte Moderna, Aldrovandi and Bioparco stops of the tram
- Villa Giulia Museo Etrusco – Bioparco – Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna – Aldrovandi stops of the tram
- Flaminio railway station (Rome)|Flaminio railway station]