Villa Borghese is a wonderful park whose origins date back to 1605 when Cardinal Scipone Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V (Camilo Borghese), brother of Scipone's mother, and member of the noble Borghese family, began converting his vineyards into gardens. The fortune accumulated by the Cardinal was largely due to the manipulation of his delegated authority by the Pope enabling him to amass an enormous fortune which led to the purchases of vast land holdings for the Borghese family. His large estate on Pincio Hill included vineyards and a number of palaces which were known as Villa Borghese. The main Villa Borghese Pinciana, was built by the architect Flaminio Ponzio and it is here where the Borghese Gallery and Museum are now located.
Other Villas located in the park include Villa Giulia, built in the mid 1500's as a summer residence for Pope Julius III, which is now home to the Etruscan museum, and Villa Medici.
An enthusiastic art lover and collector, he accumulated pieces for his priceless collection where many can still be seen today in the Gallery Museum. The most important pieces include sculptures of Apollo and Daphne, David, Truth, Pluto and Prosperino all by Bernini, two paintings of the Deposition by both Reubans and Raphael, Madonna of the Palafrenieri by Caravaggio, Sacred and Profane Love by Titian.
A Borghese collection of art can also be found in the Louvre in Paris thanks to Napoleon who bought pieces from the Pope in 1807.
The neoclassical statue of Pauline Bonaparte, Napoleon's sister, done by the sculptor Antonio Canova between 1805 and 1808, has been in the gallery since 1838.
In 1903 the gardens were purchased by the municipal of Rome and opened to the public. It is the second largest park in Rome covering an area of 148 acres. The park can be arrived at from the Spanish Steps and Piazza del Popolo.