Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Baroque. In the Middle Ages, this was the only bridge in the area that connected St. Peter's
andtheVaticanwithdowntownRome.Nearlyallpilgrimspassedthisbridgetoandfromthe
church. Its shoulder-high banisters recall a tragedy: During a Jubilee Year festival in 1450,
the crowd got so huge that the mob pushed out the original banisters, causing nearly 200 to
fall to their deaths.
North Rome
Borghese Gardens and Via Veneto
Villa Borghese Gardens
Rome's semi-scruffy three-square-mile “Central Park” is great for its shade and for people-
watching plenty of modern-day Romeos and Juliets. The best entrance is at the head of Via
Veneto (Metro: Barberini, then 10-minute walk up Via Veneto and through the old Roman
wall at Porta Pinciana, or catch a cab to Via Veneto—Porta Pinciana). There you'll find a
clusterofbuildingswithacafé,akiddiearcade,andbikerental(€4/hour).Rentabikeor,for
romantics, a pedaled rickshaw (riscio) . Bikes come with locks to allow you to make sight-
seeing stops. Follow signs to discover the park's cafés, fountains, statues, lake, great view-
point over Piazza del Popolo, and prime picnic spots. Some sights require paid admission,
including Rome's zoo, the National Gallery of Modern Art (which holds 19th-century art;
not to be confused with MAXXI, described later), and the Etruscan Museum (also described
later).
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▲▲▲ Borghese Gallery (Galleria Borghese)
This plush museum, filling a cardinal's mansion in the park, offers one of Europe's most
sumptuous art experiences. You'll enjoy a collection of world-class Baroque sculpture, in-
cluding Bernini's David and his excited statue of Apollo chasing Daphne, as well as paint-
ings by Caravaggio, Raphael, Titian, and Rubens. The museum's slick, mandatory reserva-
tion system keeps crowds to a manageable size.
The essence of the collection is the connection of the Renaissance with the classical
world. As you enter, notice the second-century Roman reliefs with Michelangelo-designed
panels above either end of the portico. The villa was built in the early 17th century by the
great art collector Cardinal Scipione Borghese, who wanted to prove that the glories of an-
cient Rome were matched by the Renaissance.
In the main entry hall, high up on the wall, is a thrilling first-century Greek sculpture of
a horse falling. The Renaissance-era rider was added by Pietro Bernini, father of the famous
Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
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