Families at Villa Borghese

Let's discover one of the largest and most evocative green areas of Rome. An oasis of relaxation and a natural paradise to spend a day dedicated to culture and entertainment, away from the chaos of the city.

Located north of the historic center, Villa Borghese is the most famous city park. It is a treasure chest with many natural beauties - English and Italian gardens, villas, fountains, ponds, groves and statues. The park offers a lot of cultural proposals - museums, theatres and attractions for the joy of kids and adults.

Thanks to its considerable extension - it is the fourth-largest public park in Rome, with approximately 80 hectares - you can easily reconcile your needs with those of freedom and fun for your children. To make your exploration even more enjoyable, you can rent bicycles or scooters to move from stage to stage through its wide tree-lined avenues.

We recommend the splendid Galleria Borghese, a magnificent 16th-century patrician residence. Today, it houses one of the most extraordinary art collections in the world with masterpieces by Bernini, Bronzino, Canova, Caravaggio, Raffaello, Perugino, Lorenzo Lotto, Antonello da Messina, Cranach, and Annibale Carracci.

Villa Borghese also hosts two of the 8 Civic Museums with free admission: the home-studio of Pietro Canonica, the small and valuable museum dedicated to the internationally renowned sculptor, music lover, and composer; the Museo Carlo Bilotti, currently housing paintings, sculptures and drawings donated by the renowned collector, including a nucleus of paintings and sculptures by Giorgio de Chirico, Manzù, and the master of Pop Art ,Andy Warhol.

A few steps away, near Piazza di Siena, the splendid Casina di Raffaello awaits you. It is a playroom for children and teenagers aged 3 to 14. Here, they can join its educational workshops, participate in its many activities, including animated readings, book presentations, temporary exhibitions, summer camps, training courses, or play freely in the wide equipped outdoor area. In the meantime, you can have an excellent coffee in the lounge bar of the nearby Casa del Cinema.

Not far away is the delightful Garden of the lake, where you can rent a little boat and enjoy nature. Surrounded by the numerous exotic plants of this little corner of paradise, you can admire the Temple dedicated to Aesculapius, in the centre of the water, and the Sundial and the Fountain of the Satyrs Family, along the banks.

If your children are animal lovers, we suggest a walk inside the Bioparco. In the Zoological Garden of Rome, you can get to know over 200 animal species from all over the world, including Sumatran tigers, lions, bears, orangutans, Komodo dragons, chimpanzees, ring-tailed lemurs. It also hosts a reptile house, which recreates a tropical open-air environment between waterfalls and trees, and a rainforest. The Bioparco has a rich botanical collection, which extends for 17 hectares inside Villa Borghese and is composed of uncommon plant species of great historical importance and numerous rare exotic plants.

About art, there is a lot more to see! You can pay a visit to the nearby Museo Civico di Zoologia to discover its collection of about 5 million preserved specimens, from shells of a few millimeters to the 16-meter whale. You can admire paintings, drawings, sculptures, and installations of the main artistic currents from the 19th century to the present day of La Galleria Nazionale, a splendid palace of neoclassical inspiration and Liberty style. Or, you can visit the Etru - Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia, one of the most representative of Etruscan art in the world, housed in the beautiful Villa Giulia e Villa Poniatowski.

If you love the big screen and theatre, there is something for all tastes! You can take your children to the Cinema dei Piccoli, which offers a program entirely dedicated to them. You can also choose the Teatro San Carlino puppet show, where Pulcinella and his friends always give life to new stories and adventures. During the Summer, do not miss the evocative performances at the Gigi Proietti Globe Theater Silvano Toti, reproducing the characteristic "big wooden O" of the original Elizabethan playhouse, with a rich program of Shakespearean works, Elizabethan tragedies and comedies.