La Galleria Borghese

La Galleria Borghese

The Borghese Gallery is one of the best art museums in Rome.  It began originally as the art collection of Cardinal Cardinal Scipione, who was the son of Hortensia Borghese and the nephew of Pope Paul V.  As the Borghese Gallery website explains:

Cardinal Scipion was drawn to any works of ancient, Renaissance and contemporary art which might re-evoke a new golden age. He was not particularly interested in medieval art, but passionately sought to acquire antique sculpture. But Cardinal Scipione was so ambitious that he promoted the creation of new sculptures and especially marble groups to rival antique works. Cardinal Scipione's collection of paintings was remarkable and was poetically described as early as 1613 by Scipione Francucci.

The museum houses one of the best collections of statutes by the famed sculptor Bernini.  It also houses several paintings by Caravaggio.  The Gallery is situated in the beautiful Borghese park on a hill at the northern end of Rome.  You can go through the museum in under 2 hours.  If you ever go, I strongly recommend going with a written guide or buying an audio guide.  The works of art are not well marked or described.

Here are some pictures of some of the art that can be found in La Galleria Borghese:

Fiesole

Fiesole is a small town just outside of Florence.  You can get from the Basilica of San Marco just north of the Cathedral to Fiesole in about 10-15 minutes by bus.  In the history of the Dominican Order, it is important as a center for reform of the Order in the 15th century.  St. Antoninus, later Bishop of Florence, was one of the first novices there.  But it is also especially connected to Bl. John of Fiesole, more popularly known as Fra Angelico.  As St. Thomas Aquinas is known as the Doctor Angelicus (the "Angelic Doctor"), John of Fiesole is the Pictor Angelicus (the "Angelic Painter").  He was not only one of the greatest artists the Order has known, but he helped create the Italian Renaissance.  Below is a slideshow of some of the pictures I took from the convent in Fiesole.