Archive for 'Central Italy'

In the final post in this series, we are rounding up the last of our picks of highlights of the incredible Galleria Borghese in Rome. This excellent gallery is home to works by the likes of Caravaggio, Raphael, Titian and Rubens but has a particularly exceptional group of works by Baroque sculptor and architect Bernini.

If you are a Bernini fan, the gallery truly is a must-see. Just find a vacation rental in Rome and drop by the Galleria Borghese to learn more about the great genius manipulator of marble that was Bernini.

7. The Goat Amalthea with the Infant Jupiter and a Faun, Bernini, 1609-1615

This work is actually the earliest known work by the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini and was produced sometime between 1609 and 1615. It depicts the mythological figure of Amalthea as a goat, the infant god Jupiter, and an infant Faun.

As mentioned in the last two posts, one of the main highlights of the excellent Galleria Borghese in Rome, is the collection of works by the incredibly talented Bernini. Gian Lorenzo Bernini was an Italian architect and artist born in Naples and who predominantly worked in Rome.

He started life as a child prodigy and learned to draw under his father, a sculptor and only really painted in his early years. As an artist, he is better known for his lifelike sculptural work and his architectural feats under papal patronage. Considered the greatest sculptor of his age, he may be a less familiar name to many today but his work will stick with you forever upon seeing it.

Just find a vacation rental in Rome and head to the Galleria Borghese, which has a rather exceptional collection of his works as Borghese was an important patron and great fan. Here are some highlights.

As mentioned in the previous post, the Galleria Borghese is an incredible art gallery located in a former pleasure villa in Rome belonging to a 16th century cardinal. It is home to works by the likes of Rubens, Titian and Raphael and particularly excellent collections of works by Bernini and Caravaggio. If you are an art lover who has found a vacation rental in Rome, it well and truly is a must-see attraction. Here are some more of our highlights among the collection to keep an eye out for when you visit!

3. Susanna and the Elders, Rubens, 1607

“Susanna and the Elders” by Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens, dates to 1607 and is one of several versions of the tale that he painted. It depicts Susanna, a figure mentioned in a deuterocanonical chapter of the biblical Book of Daniel, a fair Hebrew wife who was falsely accused by a group of voyeurs. The tale goes that two lustful elders secretly observed Susanna while she bathed in her garden and then threatened to tell others that she was meeting a young man unless she agreed to have sex with them.

There are plenty of things to see and do in Rome, in fact, the list is truly endless. However, people often focus on the monumental ruins and architectural feats of the city and immense works of art such as the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, when there are actually plenty of other excellent cultural gems to be seen. These are housed in the city's museums and, if you are an art lover, in particular, the Galleria Borghese is the Roman museum for you.

An architectural gem in its own right, the Galleria Borghese, is an art gallery housed in the former Villa Borghese Pinciana. Built by the architect Flaminio Ponzio, it was a villa suburbana, a party villa at the edge of Rome, for Cardinal Scipione Borghese, the nephew of Pope Paul V (reign 1605–1621). Borghese was a passionate patron of the arts and collector and was even involved in the designing of the villa. The Galleria Borghese today is a public art gallery that houses a substantial part of the Borghese collection of paintings, sculpture and antiquities and, in particular, is home to a rich collection of works by Caravaggio and Bernini. Other important artists represented by the collection include Titian, Raphael and Rubens, among others.

The Tempietto is a small commemorative martyrium (or tomb) built by Donato Bramante in the courtyard of San Pietro in Montorio in Rome. Dating to the 16th century, it is considered a masterpiece of High Renaissance Italian architecture. Harmonious, restrained and elegant, it is one of the most beautiful buildings of the period and is a must-see for architecture lovers and nerds. Just find a holiday rental in Rome and make time for this lesser-known, but exceptional, architectural gem.