Spot in Rome-The Pincio

Picturesque tree-lined streets of the park (Villa Borghese)

The Pincio (Pincian Hill) is located in the gardens of Villa Borghese. First, let’s get some terminology straight because you will hear people refer to ‘Villa Borghese’ and sometimes intend the large park and sometimes the museum within the park. I chose the Pincio because it is a special spot, but it also provides an opportunity to visit the surrounding area. If you type ‘Pincio’ into Google maps, you will see the area identified as the ‘Pincio Promenade’ and the ‘Pincio Terrace.’ The large green space surrounding is all considered the ‘park’ or ‘gardens’ of Villa Borghese; it is a vast park, the third largest, now public, park in Rome after Villa Doria Pamphili and Villa Ada.

The actual ‘Villa Borghese’ (as ‘villa’ refers to a house) is now the Galleria Borghese, a museum that many people include on a Roman museum itinerary. This museum houses the wealthy Borghese family’s impressive private collection of art in the impressive villa which was built by Flaminio Ponzio at the beginning of the 17th century, when this powerful family gradually added plots of land to see the great park area we see today. This Sienese family was able to rise to such prominence in Rome with the election of a Borghese Pope in 1605 when Camillo Borghese became Pope Paul V. The pope’s adopted son, Scipione Borghese, was made a cardinal as Pope Paul V was a notorious practitioner of nepotism. At least Scipione Borghese became a great patron of the arts, however, and he is responsible for starting the collection found in the museum. He was patron of both Caravaggio and Bernini. If you are a particular fan of the famed Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini or influential painter Caravaggio, you should definitely visit the museum, that is, the Galleria Borghese. The collection also features works by Raphael, Titian and the sculptor Antonio Canova. The Wikipedia page actually features a nice image collection of the museum’s highlights, if you are deciding whether to go or not. You can purchase tickets online here. If you are interested in a guided tour, this is a good website to explore; it is connected to the museum. You can also find many private tours of the Galleria that include the ticket price.

Tempio di Esculapio (Temple of Aesculapius)

Beyond the Galleria Borghese, the larger surrounding park is a joy to explore. It is one of my favorite spots to run, and I am never alone. Runners, walkers, picnickers, bikers, even tourists on segways, four-wheel bikes or golf carts all coexist in the gorgeous urban green space. Some highlights are the picturesque pond with the Tempio di Esculapio (Temple of Aesculapius). You can rent a rowboat and enjoy the view from the water. I always make a lap around on my runs. Although the temple is not ancient, it was built in the ionic style around 1786; the statue of Aesculapius is ancient, however, and it is thought to be from the Mausoleum of Augustus (we have been waiting anxiously for this monument to open for years!)

I write this entry in the midst of suffering due to the Novel Corona Virus, (COVID-19); Northern Italy especially has been hard hit, and the country is currently on lockdown. I know the situation will have changed by the time I publish this entry, hopefully for the better. Thus, I find it relevant to include that Aesculapius is the Greek god of medicine. He is often pictured with a snake-entwined staff which remains a symbol of medicine today. I call for his protection of my adopted country during this perilous time.

A performance at Silviano Toti’s Globe Theatre in Villa Borghese

Not far beyond the temple, you will find another temple of sorts. It is an exact replica of Shakespeare’s globe theatre constructed in 2003 with funding from Silviano Toti. The structure stands year round, but a season of performances (In Italian with a select few in English) run between July and October.

A favorite De Chirico painting at the Carlo Bilotti Museum in Villa Borghese (one of many Giorgio De Chirico paintings here!)

In addition to the more famous Galleria, there are a number of other museums (some free!) within the vicinity of the park. The Museo Carlo Bilotti is free to enter; the museum features the private collection of Carlo Bilotti, a contemporary collector and patron of the arts. I love this museum because it features a full room of paintings and sculptures by Giorgio de Chirico. I consider De Chirico my favorite painter, and you can also visit his house museum which is a neighbor to the Keats-Shelley house at Piazza di Spagna.

Just beyond the confines of the park you will find the Galleria Nazionale which houses an impressive collection and features interesting exhibitions throughout the year. Another museum just on the edge of the park, and particularly underrated in my opinion, is The National Etruscan Museum at Villa Giulia. Similar to the Villa Borghese which was built for the wealthy Borghese family, the Villa Giulia, which houses the museum, was built for Pope Julius III between 1550 and 1555. In addition to the Etruscan treasures on the inside (the most famous being the 6th century BCE Sarcofago degli Sposi, or Sarcophagus of the Spouses; the house is a great representation of a grand Renaissance Villa with lovely gardens. In fact, like the Gianicolo (another featured spot, read about it here), Villa Giulia is featured in Paolo Sorrentino’s Oscar winning film, La Grande Bellezza.

Twinning with zebras at the Bioparco di Roma

If you have younger kids or enjoy a good Zoo, the Bioparco di Roma (Zoological Garden) is also located within the larger Villa Borghese area.

You will notice many statues throughout the park; there is large monument with a statue to the German Romantic writer, Goethe, for example. Yet, I cannot help but mention a statue that is of great importance to me, the statue of Lord Byron. This statue is found near the 5th century CE Porta Pinciana, or one of the gated entryways into the park, which also forms part of the Aurelian Walls, which were created two centuries earlier 271-275 CE, named for the Emperor of the time Aurelian. Just as an aside, when you observe  surviving parts of the ancient walls of Rome, you are either admiring the earlier Severian walls from the 4th century BCE, which enclosed the 7 hills of Rome, or the broader Aurelian walls from the 3rd century CE. Here is a helpful image displaying both sets of walls, Severian and the later, broader, Aurelian. If you leave the Villa Borghese park through the Porta Pinciana, you will find yourself at the top of Via Vittoria Veneto, considered the most elegant, fashionable street from Italy of the 1950s and 1960s, as it was where the Hollywood stars would congregate. There are still many luxury hotels and the American Embassy, but the ‘moment’ has passed. I still encourage you to take a walk down this winding street and meditate on the glory days. Watch Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita for inspiration.

Byron statue in Villa Borghese

Back to Byron. This statue is an exact copy of the original which lives in the Wren library at Trinity College, Cambridge. Sculpted by Bertel Thorvaldsen, one of the most acclaimed sculptors of his day, the statue was created in 1831, six years after Byron’s death in 1824. Byron’s travel companion John Cam Hobhouse was instrumental in having the statue brought to fruition. Read more about it here.

You can see that Lord Byron holds his famed travelogue Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage and there are excerpts from this great work around the base of the statue. The pines of Rome seemingly undulating in the background creating a dramatic composition worthy of the Romantic poet. A powerful and poetic piece is featured on the front; it is from stanza 137 of Canto IV:   

But I have lived, and have not lived in vain: 

My mind may lose its force, my blood its fire,       

And my frame perish even in conquering pain;             

But there is that within me which shall tire 

Torture and Time, and breathe when I expire…

If you need a break for refreshments, just nearby is a café that I like at the Casa Del Cinema.

View from the Pincio at sunset

Now, the specific ‘spot’ I chose to feature is the Pincio, which is located about 1.2 KM or a 15-minute walk from the Byron statue. This fact and the substantial preamble including the myriad and varied features of the Villa Borghese serve as a testament to how much one ‘site’ can offer. The Pincio is sometimes referred to as the Terrazza del Pincio (Pincio Terrace) because it does, in fact, resemble a great balcony, overlooking the Piazza Del Popolo directly below with the Cupola di San Pietro (Dome of St Peter’s) in the distance.

I love this spot for the beauty; the view is spectacular at sunset in particular, but also for the literary connections (surprise!).

In the novel Daisy Miller by Henry James, a pivotal scene, arguably the climatic scene, takes place in this spot. The protagonist, young, rebellious American Ms. Daisy Miller, boldly asserts, ‘"I am going to the Pincio." This novella confronts the accepted social norms of the late 19th century, and a young woman walking in the Villa Borghese alone was considered scandalous. My favorite aspect of Henry James’ work is how he uses Rome as an important backdrop for his characters’ lives. It allows him to integrate travel writing into his fiction, creating a tapestry of fact and fiction. I will close with another excerpt:

The distance from the Via Gregoriana to the beautiful garden at the other end of the Pincian Hill is, in fact, rapidly traversed. As the day was splendid, however, and the concourse of vehicles, walkers, and loungers numerous, the young Americans found their progress much delayed. This fact was highly agreeable to Winterbourne, in spite of his consciousness of his singular situation. The slow-moving, idly gazing Roman crowd bestowed much attention upon the extremely pretty young foreign lady who was passing through it upon his arm; and he wondered what on earth had been in Daisy's mind when she proposed to expose herself, unattended, to its appreciation.

Even if you are an “extremely pretty young foreign lady” do not expect too much attention to be lavished upon you during your stroll to the Pincio in the 21st century but do reflect on the centuries of visitors that have come here before you. Contemplate our common humanity but perennially changing world and social constructs.

The Pincio is free, of course, and you can access it more directly by climbing the stairs to the right of Santa Maria Del Popolo (another iconic church to explore with three important paintings by Caravaggio in the Cerasi Chapel near the alter), or you can access this point by wandering through the Villa Borghese park.

A view of the Pincio terrace from below, standing in the Piazza Del Popolo. Of course, the snow covered appearance is a rarity; it has snowed in Rome twice since I have lived here, 2018 (pictured here) and 2012.