Villa Borghese - Take a Relaxing Stroll in the Park - See this Beautiful Villa with Lets-Travel-Rome.com

The Villa Borghese and its surrounding parks were designed in 1605 for Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V. These were the first parklands to be constructed in the City of Rome, and form an area with a four mile circumference.

The Borghese families’ magnificent art collection is housed in the Galleria Borghese (open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00am to 7:00pm), and the grassed amphitheatre was the inspiration for classical composer Ottorino Resphigi’s “The Pines of Rome”, written in 1924.

Try to organise your visit to The Villa Borghese and the parks so that you exit at the Piazza del Popolo, and from there you can quickly access the River Tiber and walk along the banks towards Castel S Angelo and The Vatican City.

There are many ways to enter the park, our favourite being from the top of The Spanish Steps. At the summit of the Steps, simply head left along a curved avenue and you will be rewarded with stunning views of the City, looking towards The Vatican and St Peters.

Metro Linea A, Station Spagna. The Villa Borghese and Parks are included in a self guided walking tour of Rome, making use of an mp3 player and city map (both provided). Click here to See The Villa Borghese as part of our mp3 Self Guided Tour of Rome You see Rome in your own way!

Once in the Park, you can wander for hours enjoying the peace and quiet. The buildings in the Park, including the Villa Borghese, were once surrounded by formal gardens – but today things are much more informal. Even so, you will see many unusual plant specimens and a large collection of trees of many species on show.

Speciall Tip: The ice cream vendors on the avenue sell frozen bottles of mineral water – really refreshing on a hot day!

The Park opening hours are sunrise to sunset, all year round, and the lake is particularly popular for families during the summer with rowing boats and ducks. There are also banana trees and bamboo growing around the shores.

Our favourite way to leave the Villa Borghese area is through the grand gates at the bottom of the Via Del Muro Torto, and into the Piazza del Popolo. The road carries through traffic, so be careful to keep an eye on this, but you exit into a busy intersection with bus and Metro stations nearby, that is a complete contrast to the quiet of the Park, and you are also close to the banks of the River Tiber at this point.

It’s easy to quickly move on to another part of Rome from here, or stay in the Piazza for views of some impressive buildings and an Egyptian Obelisk at the centre. You’ll also find a good choice of bars and restaurants lining the Piazza and adjoining streets.

We really recommend setting aside an afternoon to explore the Villa Borghese and its Park, you’ll leave refreshed and ready for more action in the City of Rome. Why not try one of our Rome Self Guided Tours, and see the Villa Borghese when you visit Rome.

When originally constructed, 400 pine trees were planted to provide shade and respite from the summer heat. Today, you will still find the park performs this function but over the centuries much more has been added.

There is a Zoo, grassed amphitheatre, museums and galleries, a riding school, an artificial lake and a host of fountains and follies.

We’re sharing all our tips for getting the best from these amazing places in the pages of Lets-Travel-Rome.com, so make sure you look around this part of the site right now!

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