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BORGHESE GALLERY Tour with an Art Historian
THIS TOUR INCLUDES:
The Borghese gallery is a beautiful example of the taste in art the wealthy Roman’s habit of collecting during the XVII Century. Even if you are familiar with the park as a place for Sunday picnics or if you’re curious about the casino, don’t think twice about adding this tour to your list!
This tour is a unique experience to visit this magical gallery with an enthusiastic and expert art historian.
Welcome to Casino Borghese: this grand house built for Cardinal Scipione Borghese was modelled on the style of a villa from classical Rome and to house the Cardinal’s outstanding, original collection of paintings, antiquities and statues.
Take a few hours to admire some of what makes Rome magic. Our expert guide will walk with you through chambers ornamented with the rarest materials and filled with art works of dazzling quality: Renaissance, Baroque and modern works all in one place.
Cardinal Scipione was the nephew of Pope Paul V, collector of many works of ancient, Renaissance and contemporary art so he acquired both ancient sculptures and promoted the creation of new ones to rival the ancient works.
You will admire this astonishing collection of paintings: among the hundreds of canvases you’ll find Caravaggio‘s “Boy with a Basket of Fruit” and “David with the Head of Goliath“, Raphael’s “Deposition“, Titian‘s “Sacred and Profane Love“.
Last but not least there is Paolina Borghese, reclined upon a sumptuous couch among dozens of statues both by contemporary artists of Cardinal Scipione’s century, such as Bernini, and ancient Roman sculptures. The world famous “Apollo and Daphne” by Gianlorenzo Bernini will come to life for you thanks to our passionate, expert guides and you will ask yourself whether Daphne was turned into a laurel tree too soon or too late…
This tour will let you peep through the keyhole into the lives, loves, passions, power and wealth of 17th century nobility while you learn why Cardinal Scipione’s collection is so valued today.
Our guides are licensed, local and experts, and we only select our enthusiastic ART HISTORIANS to guide you through the Borghese Collection.
Enjoy feeling like royalty during this relaxed, two hour private tour and relive the sagas and stories of nobility and Rome, the history and myths of emperors and popes, artists and cardinals.
The Borghese Gallery allows only 300 people inside the gallery every 2 hours. This means that you must choose an entrance time between 9AM, 11AM, 1PM, 3PM or 5PM if you want a private tour, or choose the times we prefer and recommend for small groups (9AM and 5PM).
Tickets are often sold out and this is why it is very difficult for us to accommodate last minute requests since it’s not possible to buy tickets the same day or they may all be sold out days before.
Therefore, we recommend you reserve the tour as early as possible in order to receive the instructions to buy your own tickets on line.
During the 2 hours of tour, our guides will make the best out of the short time available, so that you “feel” the atmosphere of the place from the time of Scipione and even after….
From June to October: an extra fee of 15% will be added on top of the price for every last minute request (since 3 days before the date requested for the tour).
PRICES: The tour guide fees must be considered as a total, not per person.
We run only private tours.
We don’t run small groups.
We can accommodate time/day request according to our guides’ and entry tickets availability.
Final and detailed price will be provided after receiving your request from the contact form.
Starting price for a private tour 2,5 hrs for 2 adults: 350 euro + tickets but definitive price is provided *only* upon request.
Price can be reduced during low season or increased during holiday, peak dates or last minute request.
For group larger than four, price will be provided upon request.
EXCELLENT Based on 300 reviews Posted on Carla Buhl-de VriesTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We made 2 private tours with Nicole: the baths of Caracalla and the Aqueducts. We were very happy with this friendly young woman, who knows a lot about ancient history. We will certainly join again, with Nicole, whenever we get back to Rome again!Posted on Gregg JacobTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Francesca was OUTSTANDING! Her energy and enthusiasm were palpable and contagious. Her knowledge of both art and history had all of us (aged 14-82) engaged for the entire tour. I highly recommend Joy of Rome and without question would request Francesca!!!Posted on Caroline Harding-EdgarTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We booked the Coliseum tour and the Rome Highlights tour for our family of 4 (girls aged 8 and 5), and would thoroughly recommend. Our guides (Francesca and Grace) were energetic, engaging and informative, and tailored the tours perfectly to our girls' interests and energy levels. The girls loved it and learned a lot - and so did we!Posted on Deepti AvasthiTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Very nice tourPosted on Steven BalitTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We had a fantastic private tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel with our guide, Sarah from Joy of Rome. She clearly knew her way around this remarkable part of Rome and shared her deep knowledge with enthusiasm and clarity. Thanks to her insights, we gained a much better understanding of Vatican City and its significance to the Eternal City. Though it was only a two hour tour, it was incredibly rewarding, absolutely worth it and highly recommended.Posted on Jerek PetrousTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Joy of Rome is an exceptional tour company. We had great experiences, but Serena was seriously the best guide we’ve ever had in all the countries we’ve been to. Can’t recommend her enough!Posted on Andrea McCormickTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Fabulous tour with Francesca - she was great with kids, kept them engaged for 2 hours, we all learnt lots and had a really great time. Thanks for making our trip to the Colosseum so memorable!Posted on Noelle BrennanTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Angela gave us a fabulous tour of the Forum, Palatine Hill and the Pantheon. It was fantastic! Her knowledge and enthusiasm was far beyond our expectations! I would highly recommend her!Posted on Carolyn GiererTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Joy of Rome and our tour guide Nicole made our Colosseum experience a great one. I couldn’t have imagined taking a 4 and 5 year old into the colosseum without her. She brought a cute book, had print outs that my kids loved (and she let us take home) and completely curated the experience for families with young kids. 10/10 recommend if you are traveling with kiddos.Verified by TrustindexTrustindex verified badge is the Universal Symbol of Trust. Only the greatest companies can get the verified badge who has a review score above 4.5, based on customer reviews over the past 12 months. Read more