Walk a Mile in My Shoes

I’m going to see Caravaggio - lots of Caravaggio.  I have to look this up, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there are more paintings by him in the Borghese than any other single museum.

After I make some truly yummy eggs, I’m off to L’800 to buy a Metro ticket. It’s a couple of miles to the Borghese and I’m not going to walk that far. I don’t want to risk getting lost. That’s a good plan, right?

Everyone is wearing coats - not jackets, not sweaters - coats. And scarves - thick ones. It’s at least 65 degrees and the sun is unhampered by any cloud cover whatsoever. Albert explained that Romans dress by the calendar. The calendar says it’s winter, so they wear coats.

I don’t care if I do stand out like a tourist, I can barely stand wearing the sweater I brought, but it’s not really warm enough to leave it behind and the weather could change. I’m careful about what I choose to carry along. I can’t take photos in the gallery, but I’m going to the Spanish steps first and then through the gardens before my 3 pm entry to the gallery.

No problem getting back to the Metro since I know exactly where I got lost the first time I was at that station. No problem getting to the Spanish Steps. It was crowded and a rowdy gang of young men (wearing shamrocks but shouting in Greek) seemed to overwhelm the steps. I took photos from the base and from the top and then tried some gelato from a cart. Strike two - it was bad. Nominally pistachio, it wasn’t day-glow green, but it tasted like almond extract. I am totally bummed out. I know there’s great gelato in this city. I just have to find it.

It’s noon and the Villa Borghese is only a half mile or so from the top of the steps, so I have plenty of time to find it, walk around the gardens, and just enjoy the day. All goes as planned, almost. I have to pick up my ticket by 2:30 for the 3:00 admission. At 2:00, I start following the signs for the villa. I walk, and walk, and walk. How far can it be? I’m on the grounds after all.  Well, it’s a long way - a really long way. My watch tells me it’s a long way; my feet tell me it’s a long way. By 2:40, I’m on the right road, and it is a road, not part of the garden path. There are buses, cars, carabinieri, street cleaners, deadends, & crosswalks. Finally, I make my way up the last run of hill and get to the ticket window at 2:45.  I pay for the ticket, deposit my bag (minus my wallet containing a copy of my passport) and I go outside to wait for the appointed 3 o'clock entry.  There are three kids playing soldier on the wall. They’re cute. My feet are killing me but I’m not giving in to a little thing like pain.

At 3, I go in with about 300 other people. We have two hours - that’s it, then the 5 o’clock people get their turn. It’s not a huge building, but there is a huge amount of artwork in it. It’s dizzying, literally. Every ceiling has a painting. Every wall has a mural or multiple paintings. There are sculptures in the center of most rooms. Caravaggio will have to wait a bit; first we meet Bernini.


No photos allowed in the Borghese, so I can only say 'refer to your guidebooks' or check out Google to find images of the sculpture and paintings in the gallery. Bernini was mindboggling. There is a beautiful, small(ish) sculpture (The Goat Amalthea with the Infant Jupiter and a Faun) that he did when he was a child himself. Unbelievable. And of course, there is Daphne and Apollo (my personal favorite there) and his David. David is the introductory piece in the gallery. It's a far different interpretation of the Goliath story than one sees in the more famous David by Michelangelo, housed in L'Accademia in Florence. Bernini's David is in active mode. He's let the stone fly and watches for the giant to fall.


Bernini is everywhere in Rome, and the Borghese is a great way to become familiar with him in an intimate setting. I liked it a lot!

That brings me to Caravaggio. The pieces in the Borghese were wonderful, but...most of the really great Caravaggio was not there. There is a Caravaggio exhibit, in Rome, and that's where the well-known stuff has gone for the season. No, I did not go, so I didn't see that much Caravaggio after all. Maybe that was silly, but it's the way it is Interestingly, there is also a huge Hopper exhibition in Rome at the moment and I can't think of a greater range of style than those two artists represent. Nice.

My feet are tired, but I'm pretty happy.