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Rome

Thursday, 19 April. After breakfast at the corner bar, we walked to the Villa Borghese, arriving at 8:45. Our tickets were for 9:00 to 11:00. There was no line to enter, probably because most people with reservations for that time were waiting in the line to buy tickets. Our tour of the Borghese was a breathtaking experience, twenty rooms of art masterpieces.

Darrell had been through it forty years before and had found it very impressive then. But it was very different now after being closed 13 years for renovations (reopened in 1998). The Villa was built by Cardinal Borghese in 1613 specifically to house his renowned art collection. Among its hundreds of sculptures and paintings, it contains several extraordinary masterpieces, including the exquisite "Apollo and Daphne" and other magnificent sculptures by Bernini. Most of the original grounds surrounding the Villa have been preserved as well, providing a huge green space in the center of Rome.

Villa Borghese

Apollo and Daphne

Borghese garden

On leaving the Villa, we caught the trenino for a tour of the grounds, with its many statues and fountains. There is also an artificial lake. We passed a troop of Carabinieri on horseback. The weather was cool and cloudy. After the ride we visited the formal garden behind the Villa, then had lunch at the bar in the basement.

Our next destination was the Palazzo Massimo, near the Termini Station. It is part of the National Roman Museum. We caught a bus to Termini, but managed to walk right past the Palazzo without recognizing it. We probably walked an extra mile, all the way around the Terme Baths, before finding it. We especially enjoyed the mosaics and frescos from ancient villas. The large bronze ornaments salvaged from Caligula's pleasure barges were very unusual. The sculptures were so-so, especially since we'd just seen Bernini's work. The jewelry and coin exhibit in the basement was impressive, providing a complete history of the use of coinage, but it was so extensive that we were soon overwhelmed.

At 4:00 we took the bus back to our hotel. Darrell tried the second number for the Domus Aurea again, and this time someone answered. He told Darrell it took three days to get a reservation, but suggested that we show up at the gate and hope for a cancellation or no-show. We rested until 7:30 when we went for dinner at the nearby trattoria. It was very cold out again, and not much warmer in our room. But they didn't turn on the heat this time. We'd had a strenuous day and were in bed by 10:00.

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