Borghese Gallery Private Tour

Highly recommend. The guide was knowledgeable in the subject matter, amible and engaging. The grounds, gallery and art work were extraordinary.

I used this company for multiple tours, starting in Milan, and then Rome - Colosseum Arena & Underground, Early Bird Vatican, golf cart tour of Piazzas and Fountains, and Borghese Gallery. All tours were wonderful, and the guides were informative and accommodating. I was traveling with my 72 yr old mother and needed customization and a slower pace. Thank you Alessandro, Maria and Rosa, for the memories and your passion.

Marta was amazing. Her knowledge and passion shine throughout our visit. Her understanding of construction and composition brought new insights. Neither of us had a detailed knowledge of mythology and Marta’s background information added so much to our experience and appreciation. I particularly liked her showing us different views of the same sculpture. She was honest and caring. At the end of the Tour when she realised we didn’t have tickets for the Colosseum, she found a web site, booked us in and got us a taxi.

We met Azzurra, our fabulous guide, in front of the Borghese Gallery about 15 minutes early for the appointment. Azzurra took us on a short walk through the grounds and provided excellent backgound on the museum and the family that owned the palace. Then we embarked on an incredibly informative tour of the museum with outstanding commentary by Azzurra. Both my husband and I are ardent museum lovers and although we knew something about this period of art, Azzurra's deep knowledge and understanding of the works displayed in the Borghese was amazing. We learned so much and realized how much her commentary provided both the depth and understanding of what we observed in this fabulous museum. We heartily recommend the Eyes of Rome and, in particular, Azzurra, if you want an unforgettable tour of the Borghese!

Our recent tour of the Borghese Gallery and grounds was the perfect way to complete our Rome stay. Rosie was so enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the art and the artists. She made sure that we saw a variety of the most important art in the gallery. She also walked with us back to the hotel showing us interesting places along the way. We definitely recommend this tour!

Ho partecipato con amici americani alla visita guidata della Galleria Borghese e abbiamo avuto Azzurra come nostra guida. È una ragazza preparatissima, parla un ottimo inglese e ci ha regalato un’esperienza meravigliosa. Consigliatissima! Bravi, continuate così.

We booked the “Private Borghese Gallery Tour with Hotel Pick-up and Drop-off” from Eyes of Rome on October 21, before the Omicron variant placed our present trip to Rome very much up in the air. Happily we were able to make it to Rome and to experience this wonderful, personalized tour of what I think is the greatest collection of treasures in Rome on December 26. We were picked up on-time at our hotel by the tour’s driver who was well-informed and effective with regard to the current COVID protocols, helping us to ensure we had the appropriate type of mask required and our physical vaccination proof (we had assumed digital versions would suffice, but this is not currently the case in Rome or at least not for the Villa Borghese). Another tour operator probably wouldn’t have checked for these items and we would have missed the entire experience. We were dropped off at the Villa Borghese and met immediately by our personal guide, Silvia, who greeted us warmly and immediately started setting the context of what we were about to see with the history of the Aurelian wall, Roman life in the 1600s, and the concept of the “villa suburbana,” all of which is quite necessary for a full appreciation of the wonder that is the Galleria Borghese. She explained to us the relation of the Galleria’s founder Cardinal Scipione Borghese and his position as the Cardinal Nephew to Pope Paul V, which gave him political power over the Papal States. Silvia told us of the original plan of the gardens and the vivarium, which housed species from all over the world- plants and birds respectively, which was foundational to understanding the art collection to come. For context, I have twice visited the Galleria Borghese in 1996 and 2010, but it was my husband’s first visit to the Galleria and, in fact, to Rome. Our tour impressed, entertained, and satiated the curiosity of both of us equally– not an easy feat, for sure. We appreciated that Silvia structured the tour as much as possible as the Galleria was meant to be experienced (unwinding, if philosophically, the changes to the sequence of rooms necessitated by current COVID protocols). Silvia was knowledgeable, personable, funny, and very well-versed in the history of the Borghese family, the Papacy as related to it, and the artists (Bernini, Carvaggio, etc.) and their works featured in the museum. Among the highlights for us: *A very informative but also witty and humorous study comparing the depiction (and by extrapolation the characterization) of Venus painted with Cupid by two artists– Cranachi (il vecchio) and Brescianino, an eye-opening discussion about the differing regional attitudes toward women at the time *Revealing the technique but also the humanity of Caravaggio with a thorough education on the ‘Madonna dei Palafrenieri.’ Some of why the painting would have been a shocking portrayal of Mary, Jesus, and St. Anne may be obvious, but understanding all the details– Mary’s plainly visible underskirt– contemporary of the artist’s time, the wrinkled, withered portrayal of St. Anne (the Vatican chapel bearing her name being the intended destination for this work, where it was ultimately rejected), and the still-astounding use of light in darkness was extremely interesting and enriching to our experience *A 360-degree analysis of Bernini’s Baroque masterpiece Apollo and Daphne (starting with Silvia ensuring we averted our eyes to view the sculpture first from the right-hand side, as intended by the artist himself prior to the statue being moved) gave us a complete understanding of this work. Viewing the sculpture– which I had seen before but never from the vantage point encouraged by our guide– this way gives the complete story of Daphne’s encapsulation into the tree depicted here and Apollo’s (non-)reaction. When the delicately carved, paper-thin tree bark was pointed out to us, you could almost feel the heartbeat that Apollo would have felt as his hand grasped it. I appreciated the details of the windswept hair turning into leaves, which also stemmed from her hands, and the roots emanating from her foot, details I had not really fully appreciated before. I would highly recommend Eyes of Rome and specifically our guide Silvia. I cannot enumerate with words how much more I appreciated the Galleria Borghese with her expert and naturally flowing guidance and historical context. We had a fantastic time that we will not soon forget.

Our guide was fabulous!!! Her excitement and understanding of the art was infectious. I learned a lot!!

One of the best tours for seeing art and seeing how this family lived. Awesome day with a wonderful guide who knows so very much about art and then the history of this beautiful exhibition. If ever I return will get in touch with Eyes of Rome for more tours.. They made our trip one to remember. Thank you

Barbara de Rosa was our guide for the afternoon,her knowledge and passion for her subject was inspiring and she made our visit better than we could have imagined. She made us feel very welcome in Rome and I would highly recommend that you use this company if you want to get the most from your time. When in Rome ask a Roman to show you around. Thanks for a great day. Jan Scott

My fiancee and I asked our hotel (Hotel Kolbe) to organise a private tour of the Borghese Gallery. Our tour guide (Alessandro Cali) was a joy to spend three hours with and his knowledge and enthusiasm for the Gallery, the gardens and for Rome really shone through. The Gallery is just as wonderful as everybody says but having Alessandro as our guide really improved our experience as he was great at pointing out details you might miss of the famous pieces (Caravaggio, Bernini etc) and identifying pieces which might otherwise have passed us by. With two hours in the Gallery and the rooms full of amazing artefacts, we'd recommend these tours to anyone.

Another splendid tour provided by Eyes of Rome. My husband and I highly recommend our lecturer/guide Simone. His prompt and congenial welcome and deep knowledge of his subject made our limited time in the Borghese Gallery both entertaining and educational. It was 2 1/2 hours very well spent. We have used this company in the past and I cannot recommend them enough. While the ease of booking and excellent communication is a point in favor for Eyes of Rome, their greatest assets are the tour guides who work for them. In the end, they are the face of Rome for a visitor. Thank you, Simone, for putting such a handsome and memorable face on the Eternal City.

Paola led four of us on a tour of the museum and surrounding area but so much more than that. Her deep knowledge of art history expanded the tour far beyond the walls of the museum and left us with more content and history for all the other events of our trip. Energetic with a sparkling personality we highly recommend this tour, or any tour with Paola.

My family and I spent a wonderful afternoon with Maria Linda touring the Galleria Borghese. The artwork was amazing and Maria Linda was a fantastic guide. She got to know us and the types of things we liked, especially our daughter who is an art fanatic. Maria was very knowledgeable and made the tour super interesting. Thanks!

Our guide Roberta made our day by talking the masterpieces to live, breath, love and cry. With her deep knowledge, passion and love for the stunning pieces of art at the beautiful Borghese gallery we got much more than we could have expected of a 3 hour visit. We loved how relaxed and passionate Roberta was with all the facts of the art history. She was a true storyteller. Can't wait to come back and hopefully see other collections with her.

Went on a 3 hour tour of the Borghese Gallery and Gardens with Alessia. She provided us with so much information on the history of the Borghese family and all of the important works of art within the Gallery. She was also happy to answer questions outside of the scope of the tour around general Italian history and also provide recommendations for activities after the tour ended. Would recommend Eyes of Rome to any friends visiting in the future!

Rosalba is a wonderful tour guide. She is very knowledgeable and answered all our questions. She knew how to point out the most interesting things and keep us on time. She helped us from the beginning to the end including how to find us a taxi. I would highly recommend Rosalba Cilione for individual private tours. As an art history major, she knows a lot about paintings sculpture tapestries history and the artists.

We booked a private tour of the Borghese Gallery and we were taken through the venue by our guide Andrada who was brilliant! Her knowledge of the artworks and the building was vast and her passion for the subject was plain to see. The 3 hour tour just flew by as we were so immersed in what Andrada had to tell us and we thoroughly enjoyed our time spent with her on this tour. Highly recommended as a tour guide. Thanks Andada.

Had a fantastic afternoon with private guide Stefania Pistone at the Borghese Gallery. Professional young lady with a passion for the arts! My family enjoyed the private guided tour as we could ask all sorts of questions and get the answers immediately. It was educational in a relaxing way as we could take our time. Stefania is a true professional. A must!!