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Galleria Borghese

A villa gallery in Villa Borghese park, with Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne, six Caravaggios in Room VIII, and Canova’s Pauline Bonaparte.

  • Rome
  • Gallery
Plan your visitSee tours
Where
Rome
Best for
Bernini's Apollo and Daphne
Allow
2 hours
Ticket before booking fee
From €16
Checked October 2026

Cardinal Scipione Borghese commissioned a villa outside Porta Pinciana to house his collection. Construction began in 1607 under Flaminio Ponzio and was completed by Giovanni Vasanzio. The rooms remain part of the encounter with the art: painted ceilings, coloured marbles and sculpture turn the route into a succession of elaborate settings.

The collection also tells a story of patronage and papal power. In 1607, Pope Paul V ordered paintings seized from the Cavalier d’Arpino and gave them to his nephew Scipione. Room VIII now brings together six Caravaggios, including Boy with a Basket of Fruit, Sick Bacchus and David with the Head of Goliath. Their concentration makes it worth allowing time to look at the paintings together.

Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne occupies the centre of Room III. Follow the carved change from feet becoming roots to hands and hair becoming laurel; the museum’s object record describes Bernini’s original viewing sequence along the group’s right side, where Apollo’s expression shifts to astonishment. In Room IV, The Rape of Proserpina stands amid mosaics, coloured marbles and imperial busts. Canova’s reclining Pauline Borghese as Venus Victorious in Room I holds the apple awarded in the Judgment of Paris. Upstairs, Titian’s Sacred and Profane Love is in Room XX, the Psyche Room; its marriage-allegory interpretation remains debated.

A standard visit has a two-hour limit. Choose a few works to study closely, then leave time for the rooms around them. To connect the gallery with the wider city, continue with our Rome travel guide.

Upper façade of Villa Borghese Pinciana with five windows, four statue niches and oval portrait medallions
Sculpture, reliefs and windows across the upper façade of Villa Borghese Pinciana.
Sources and citations (14)
  1. Galleria Borghese — Italian Ministry of CultureAccessibilityAccessibility page paragraphs on front stair lift, rear entrance, sculpture floor, second-floor lift and wheelchair transfer; contact details; companion admission.Read source
  2. Galleria Borghese — Italian Ministry of CultureTicketsTickets lines/sections: price table; booking-fee paragraph and exemptions; Gallery Visits paragraph.Read source
  3. Galleria Borghese — Italian Ministry of CultureThe MuseumOpening collection paragraph; public rooms and admission-turn paragraph.Read source
  4. Galleria Borghese — Italian Ministry of CultureInfo & FAQFAQ on visit duration; FAQ headed ‘I checked the website… no tickets available… can I come to the ticket office?’; directions/address section.Read source
  5. Galleria Borghese — Italian Ministry of CultureApollo and DafneArtwork record: title/artist/year metadata; first narrative paragraph on bodily details; long narrative paragraph on Bernini’s placement and viewing path.Read source
  6. Galleria Borghese — Italian Ministry of CultureRoom 3 – Apollo and Daphne RoomApollo and Daphne Room; sculpture chronology/current placement; ceiling and wall-decoration description.Read source
  7. Galleria Borghese — Italian Ministry of CultureRoom 4 – Room of the EmperorsRoom IV; installation and final artwork paragraph.Read source
  8. Galleria Borghese — Italian Ministry of CultureRoom 8 – Silenus RoomSilenus Room; paragraph on Caravaggio collection and six-item masterpiece list.Read source
  9. Galleria Borghese — Italian Ministry of CultureSacred and Profane LoveObject heading/metadata and interpretation paragraph.Read source
  10. Galleria Borghese — Italian Ministry of CultureSala 20 – Sala di PsicheSala 20 description; closing paragraph naming four Titian canvases and the Sala’s masterpieces list.Read source
  11. Galleria Borghese — Italian Ministry of CulturePauline Borghese as Venus VictoriousObject record; year, commission, apple and rotating base.Read source
  12. Galleria Borghese — Italian Ministry of CultureVisitHow to get here by public transportation; Termini, Flaminio, Barberini and Spagna entries.Read source
  13. Galleria Borghese — Italian Ministry of CultureThe Origins of Still Life in Italy: Caravaggio and the Master of HartfordHistorical paragraph beginning ‘All six of them were among the 105 paintings confiscated…’; the following sentence identifies Pope Paul V’s order and the gift to Scipione.Read source
  14. Galleria Borghese — Italian Ministry of CultureThe VillaThe Villa; construction history and Rooms index; the page states construction began in 1607 under Flaminio Ponzio and was completed by Giovanni Vasanzio; Scipione was Paul V’s nephew.Read source

Look closer

Carved marble hand and laurel leaves at the top of Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne
Daphne’s marble laurelA close detail of the raised hand and laurel leaves in Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne.
Cardinal Scipione Borghese’s marble face, biretta and upper robes in Bernini’s portrait bust
Portrait of Scipione BorgheseA close view of Bernini’s marble portrait of Cardinal Scipione Borghese, founder of the collection.
Detail of Caravaggio’s painted young man holding a fruit basket inside a gilded frame
Boy with a Basket of FruitA detail of Caravaggio’s Boy with a Basket of Fruit, one of the six Caravaggios in Room VIII.

Five things worth finding

If you see nothing else, see these.

  1. Apollo and DaphneGian Lorenzo Bernini

    Made in 1622–25, the group shows Daphne’s feet becoming roots and her hands and hair becoming laurel. The museum explains how Bernini’s original right-side viewing route revealed Apollo’s changing expression.Ground floor, Room III

  2. The Rape of ProserpinaGian Lorenzo Bernini

    Bernini made this marble group in 1621–22. The room’s porphyry and alabaster busts, mosaics and varied marbles make its setting part of the visit.Ground floor, Room IV

  3. Six paintings by CaravaggioCaravaggio

    One room holds six of the twelve paintings by Caravaggio originally owned by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, including Sick Bacchus, Boy with a Basket of Fruit and David with the Head of Goliath.Ground floor, Room VIII

  4. Pauline Bonaparte as Venus VictoriousAntonio Canova

    Commissioned by Camillo Borghese and made from 1804 to 1808, the reclining marble portrait shows Pauline holding the apple awarded by Paris in the mythological beauty contest. Its base can turn 360 degrees.Ground floor, Room I

  5. Sacred and Profane LoveTitian

    The two figures and Cupid gather around an ancient sarcophagus used as a fountain. The museum presents a marriage-allegory reading, while acknowledging that interpretations differ.Room XX, the Psyche Room

Plan your visit

Everything you need before you go.

Ticket before booking fee
From €16
Reserved entry
Reservation required
Time needed
2 hours
Best time
Choose a reserved slot that leaves room for a full two-hour visit. The final slot is shorter, at 75 minutes; allow extra time to reach the villa through the park before your entry time.
Getting there
The gallery is inside the public Villa Borghese park; the nearest park entrance is on Via Pinciana, beside the Pinciana/Museo Borghese bus stop. The museum lists buses 910 and 92 from Termini, and buses 63, 83, 52 and 53 from Barberini Metro (Line A) to Pinciana/Museo Borghese. From there, follow the park paths to Piazzale Scipione Borghese 5. Check current service with Rome’s transit operator before travelling.
Accessibility
The museum identifies a rear entrance at Piazzale Scipione Borghese 5 that avoids the front staircase and gives access to the entire sculpture floor. A stair lift beside the front staircase serves the route to the lower-level visitor services. The lift to the upper picture gallery cannot accommodate large wheelchairs: the museum requires a transfer to its smaller wheelchair for the lift and supplies another wheelchair upstairs. Contact the Accessibility Office to plan the route and transfer for your needs.

The standard adult ticket is €16 plus a normally required €2 reservation fee (€18 in total). The final, shorter visit slot has a base price of €11. Fee exemptions apply to specific categories; every visitor still needs a reserved ticket. Temporary exhibitions may increase prices. Limited same-day tickets may be available at the ticket office, but entry is not guaranteed. Prices checked 8 October 2026; confirm the current rate and eligibility with the museum before purchase. Last updated October 2026. Prices change, so check the official site before you go.

Choose a short priority list before your timed slot: Rooms III and IV for Bernini, Room VIII for Caravaggio, then Room I for Canova or Room XX upstairs for Titian. The normal visit is time-limited, so this helps you use it at your own pace.

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Tours worth booking

A few we would book ourselves, to get more from your visit.

Booking through these links may earn Italia Magnifica a commission, at no cost to you.

  1. Rome Golf Cart Tour from Villa Borghese Gardens

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  2. Rome: Borghese Gallery Private Tour with Pick-up and Drop-off

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  3. Rome by Night Private Golf Cart Tour-3 Hours

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  4. Private Tour of Borghese Gallery, Home to Canova’s Masterpieces

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  5. Borghese Gallery Private Tour Explore the Masterpieces by Bernini Caravaggio and Raphael

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  6. Private Personal Rome Travel Photographer for up to 3-Hours

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Before you book

How long is a visit to the Galleria Borghese?

The standard timed visit lasts two hours; the final slot lasts 75 minutes. The museum route includes 20 decorated rooms, so choose a few priorities before your visit.

Do I need to reserve a ticket?

Yes. Every visitor needs a reserved entry time, including visitors entitled to free admission. Limited last-minute tickets may be requested at the ticket office, but same-day entry is not guaranteed; check the official ticket page for current prices and fee exemptions.

Can wheelchair users visit the upper picture gallery?

The museum lift cannot take large wheelchairs. Visitors must transfer to a smaller museum wheelchair for the lift; another chair is supplied upstairs. Contact the Accessibility Office before planning this part of the visit. The ground-floor sculpture route has a separate rear entrance.

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