Galleria Borghese

About the museum

The Galleria Borghese is housed in the Villa Borghese Pinciana, built in the early 17th century for Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V and a great collector. From the start, the villa was conceived as a place to display the ancient sculptures and works of art collected by the cardinal. He commissioned some of Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s most famous marble groups and acquired paintings by Caravaggio, Raphael, Titian and other masters.

Over the centuries the collection was enriched and partly altered by the family’s descendants. At the end of the 18th century Prince Marcantonio IV Borghese had the rooms renovated in the Neoclassical style, adding new decorations and ancient works. During the Napoleonic period some of the ancient sculptures were sold and taken to France, while the 17th-century works remained in Rome.

In 1902 the villa and the collection were bought by the Italian State, and in 1903 the museum opened to the public. Today the Galleria is a state museum. The ground floor houses the sculptures, including Bernini’s groups and Antonio Canova’s portrait of Pauline Borghese, while the picture gallery on the first floor holds paintings from the Renaissance to the Baroque. Visits take place by booking, in two-hour time slots, to limit crowding in the rooms.

Highlights

• Apollo and Daphne, The Rape of Proserpina and Aeneas, Anchises and Ascanius by Gian Lorenzo Bernini
• Paolina Borghese as Venus Victrix by Antonio Canova
• Paintings by Caravaggio, including the Madonna dei Palafrenieri and the Boy with a Basket of Fruit
• Picture gallery with works by Raphael, Titian, Correggio and Antonello da Messina
• Rooms decorated with frescoes and ancient mosaics

Permanent exhibition

• Sculture e dipinti della collezione Borghese – The ground floor displays ancient and Baroque sculptures; the first floor houses the picture gallery with paintings from the Renaissance to the 17th century.

Founded

1903

Operated by

Ministero della Cultura (Galleria Borghese)

Director

Francesca Cappelletti

Visitors per year

approx. 544,290

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free-admission days, such as the first Sunday of the month: tickets are issued 10 days in advance, with no last-minute sales.

Booking is mandatory for all types of ticket, including free ones, and includes a booking fee of €2. Some categories with the Roma Pass are exempt but must still book. Each buyer may purchase a maximum of 5 tickets at a time. Holders of free tickets must show the document proving their entitlement; otherwise the ticket is cancelled and the standard ticket must be bought. Priority access is not offered. Telephone bookings: +39 06 32810, Monday to Friday, 9:30–18:00. Temporary exhibitions may increase the price.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description

The building has a platform lift to the left of the external staircase. The sculpture floor is fully accessible from the rear entrance at Piazzale Scipione Borghese 5. The lift to the second floor (Pinacoteca) is small and does not take large wheelchairs: the museum provides compact wheelchairs for the lift and larger wheelchairs on the second floor. Outside there are two high-contrast tactile maps with texts in Italian, English and Braille. Visits in LIS, International Sign and ASL are offered, as are free guided tours with V.A.M.I. volunteers for people with disabilities and the podcast “Al di là del Marmo” with descriptions of the works for blind and visually impaired people. Information: ga-bor.accessibilita@cultura.gov.it, tel. +39 06 6723 3753.

Kids & families

Under-18s enter free but must have a booked ticket.

Getting there & parking

Taxi ranks on Via Pinciana and Via Vittorio Veneto, near Villa Borghese.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check

ViVi Bistrot café (50 seats, open from 8:30 to 19:00, also for takeaway) and bookshop. The cloakroom accepts backpacks and large bags; in the rooms only small bags up to 21 × 15 cm are allowed.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit