Private Borghese Gallery tour:
Bernini and Caravaggio, at your pace
Destination
Rome, Italy
Duration
1.5 hours
Tour size
Max 6
Language
English
Overview
The Borghese is one of Rome's calmest yet greatest museums, a 17th-century cardinal's villa that caps how many people enter at once. This private Borghese Gallery tour gives you that quiet setting with an art historian to yourselves, building the visit around what you most want to see, from Bernini's marble to Caravaggio's light.
- •Walk in with guaranteed tickets to a gallery that limits daily entry
- •See Bernini's Apollo and Daphne and The Rape of Proserpine up close
- •Take in Caravaggio's David and Goliath and his St. John the Baptist
- •Add Raphael, Titian, and Canova's Pauline Bonaparte to a tailored route
- •Explore with a private guide who shapes the tour around your interests
What's included
- Pre-reserved Borghese Gallery tickets
- A private art historian guide for your group only
You will visit
- Bernini's Apollo and Daphne, Rape of Proserpine, and David
- Caravaggio's David and Goliath and St. John the Baptist
- Raphael's The Deposition
- Titian's The Scourging of Christ
- Canova's Pauline Bonaparte
Get a taste of Private Borghese Gallery tour
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What to expect
The cardinal's villa, to yourselves
You'll start at the 17th-century villa of Cardinal Scipione Borghese, who filled it with the art around you. Because it's a private residence rather than a sprawling museum, and entry is capped, the rooms stay calm. With a private guide, the visit bends to your interests rather than a fixed script.
Bernini in marble
Your guide walks you through Bernini's sculpture, Apollo and Daphne, the Rape of Proserpine, and his David, the works that defined Baroque marble. Up close you'll see what makes them extraordinary: motion and emotion carved from solid stone, leaves and fingers and fabric rendered in marble. These are the pieces people travel to Rome to stand in front of.
"Apollo and Daphne stops everyone. Her fingers are turning to leaves, carved from one block of marble. On a private tour I can let you just stand there until you're ready to move."
Marta,
WalksDevour art historian guide
"The Borghese caps how many people come in. So with your own guide it's almost like visiting the cardinal's private collection, the way it was meant to be seen."
Cristina,
WalksDevour art historian guide
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Frequently asked questions
Our guides love answering your questions. Here are some things they'd like you to know before you arrive.
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