RomeTHE VILLA BORGHESE

The tiny streets of Rome weave back and forth, those intimate vias emptying out into piazzas and busy avenues.  Walking along the stone streets, dodging the cars and vespas becomes a learned skill — fear at first eases into an instinctual pattern.  This movement and passion, it’s as if the entire city pulses with it — it pervades all areas of the Italian life.

I love il caos bella, yet I always leave a part of my day for a certain amount of quiet.  I sit at a cafe and have un cafe, or walk the ancient ruins of the Imperial Forum; I visit le chiese to sit amongst the frescoes and paintings that once only existed on a slide in my art history class — they hold so much more meaning in this space.

The Villa Borghese is my favorite place to simply be.  The estate is a sprawling green space, once the villa for the powerful Borghese family, now a gorgeous park housing the Galleria Borghese — an extensive collection of art, featuring Bernini and Caravaggio masterpieces — as well as a zoo, a modern art museum, an ancient art museum, an aviary, and more.  It’s relaxing to walk the gardens lined with orange and pomegranate trees, or to sit and meditate amongst all the greenery.

Though the Galleria Borghese is awe inspiring alone, I suggest visiting the nearby Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna as well –  things from the modern era can be equally inspiring.