Rome: Borghese Gallery & Gardens Small Group Guided Tour

Federica was knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and very easy to understand. She kept our family of multiple ages engaged. Book a tour requesting Federica today.

Amazing. Our guide went above and beyond. Explained the art,the family who had the collection,the property and it history. A true hidden gem.

The tour guide Fabio is UNIQUE!!! He brings these extraordinary masterpieces of the masters in the Villa Borghese to LIFE! He must be in direct soul contact with Bernini, Titian, Caravaggio, and the other masters! He illuminates unique details on the carefully chosen sculptures and paintings, circling these masterpieces with the group so that we can enjoy the right viewing perspectives with him. Often, he finds details in a single artwork (as if he is discovering them himself at that very moment) where he manages to convey what the respective master must have felt during the creative process. In doing so, he sensitively balances detail and overview, even comparing different art epochs in an incredibly vivid way by juxtaposing a painting from the Early Renaissance with one from the Baroque in the same room. So lively that even art detractors would feel an intimate closeness. I have had the pleasure of enjoying a handful of very authentically guided tours in my life so far. This was the one where the masters personally spoke to us through the guide Fabio. When asked for a book recommendation that could somewhat reflect his "resurrection magic," he pondered for the only time. Ultimately, he was convinced to provide a recommendation with 2 copies. "L'arte del Rinascimento in Italia" 1 and 2 Not being proficient in the Italian language, I ordered the English edition (which he said is very suitable as it is very readable), with the awareness that the reading material would remind me of the "revitalization" of the selected works of the masters by Fabio.

Barabara was absolutely marvelous!!! Knowledgeable and passionate about her job. Definitely recommend!

The tour did not include the gardens as advertised, but it was still a great experience. We needed the full time to get through the museum. Our guide was very knowledgeable and passionate.

This was a wonderful tour of a fabulous house full of amazing paintings and sculpture. It takes about an hour to walk from Piazza del Popolo (closest Metro stop) to Galleria Borghese. You can take a bus. Wish I had realized it was so far. I almost missed my tour. They were completely sold out.

We thoroughly enjoyed touring the borghese gallery with Barbara. She kept our family engaged, answered our questions, and provided great insight into the works of art we saw. What a great way to experience the gallery!

We had a small group which was very nice and our guide, Salvatore did a wonderful job walking us through the Gallery discussing the background and significance of some of the stunning works. I say “some”, only because there is no way to see or linger at every piece of art, in the 2.5hrs the Borghese limits your visit. There is a limit to the number of people allowed in the Gallery, at a time, and the time you can spend in the gallery. An appointment is the bare minimum requirement to enter. On a first visit I would definitely want a tour, just to get a sense of what they have and what you might want to go back and see on your own. The only difference I noticed from the tours done directly through the gallery, and City Wonders was where we met up (just outside the main entrance), but once inside it all came down to your guide. We were given an earpiece to hear what Sal was telling us, so we could stand up close or further back from the piece, if we wanted a different view/perspective and still hear what he was saying. He was very knowledgeable about the art pieces, the history behind their commissions, the artists, and he had a real appreciation for Bernini, which was evident as he discussed Bernini's sculptures and their beauty. Seeing a Bernini in person is awe inspiring, but having a guide who loves the artist, highlighted the true genius of the sculptures and the complete command Bernini had over marble. I was ecstatic to learn the Borghese Gallery has 6 Caravaggio’s. Sal presented them in order of their creation pointing out the differences and changes Caravaggio made as he aged. It was the highlight for me and Sal did an amazing job in this room, only heightening my absolute love for Caravaggio. There just simply aren’t words for how much I loved this portion of the tour. There was also a park tour, following the Gallery, unfortunately part of my group was not feeling well and so we did not continue on for that portion. I did do about a 10 min walk around the park, on my own, and they are quite extensive and very cool on a hot day.

Guide was knowledgeable and very entertaining. He pointed out many interesting things about the priceless pai ntings and the sculptures. Told funny stories about one of the ladies that posed for the artist. .

Frederica was a fantastic guide who really made the works in the gallery come alice