Villa Borghese is the Romans’ favourite destination for quiet walks away from the chaos of the city. It is located a stone’s throw from the centre, so it is easily reachable on foot. Still, with its services and multiple gardens, it can really satisfy anyone. Whether for a romantic walk, to go jogging or to walk the dog, the gardens of Villa Borghese, with their 80 hectares of extension, have room for everyone.
Strolling through Villa Borghese: woods and gardens in Rome
Anyone who buys a house in the city centre, to be a stone’s throw from the nightlife and services, is always looking for a green corner to relax and unplug during the week. For Rome’s inhabitants and its tourists, Villa Borghese is the green lung of the city (even if, due to its shape, it is usually called the “heart of Rome”). It contains about 9 gardens, of which three are mainly wooded areas that recall the countryside that characterized this district in the seventeenth century.
Secret Gardens
The Secret gardens of Villa Borghese correspond to the ancient private gardens of Cardinal Scipione Borghese. Made between 1610 and 1633, the first two contained bitter oranges and flowers. The third garden was built in 1680 and featured exotic flowers and plants. All redesigned in the 90s, these spaces now reproduce the typical structure of the seventeenth-century flower beds. The fourth and last garden includes a nursery for the remaining three.
Rear Garden of the Casino Nobile
The garden that occupies the rear space of the Casino Nobile hosts the fountain of Venus in the centre. Once, the area was occupied by the fountain of Narcissus and by multiple sculptures and herms by Pietro and Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Piazza di Siena
The Piazza di Siena, an actual reservoir determined by steps for the horse race, was the scene of the most beautiful popular festivals of the nineteenth century. Today it is home to the International Horse Competition and hosts the Fontana dei Pupazzi.
Garden of the lake and Temple of Aesculapius
The lake garden is perhaps one of the most romantic in Villa Borghese. Here, lovers head for a romantic boat trip on the navigable lake, skirting the plants and the temple of Aesculapius. The Giardino del lago is a real English garden full of exotic plants.
Gardens of Valle Giulia
These picturesque gardens, enriched by two neoclassical nymphaeums, were created for the 1911 International Exposition to embellish the new entrance built by Cesare Bazzani, which connected Villa Borghese to the Valle Giulia. The Gardens of Valle Giulia host the fontana delle Tartarughe.
Parco dei Daini and wooded areas
We now come to the so-called “wooded areas” of Villa Borghese. Their many shrubs are concentrated in the Parco dei Daini, the Valle dei Platani and the Giardino Boschereccio.
The latter, located in front of the Casino Nobile, comprises 23 squares (whose division is only partially perceptible today) made up of evergreen and deciduous plants.
The Valle dei Platani, on the other hand, is known to most as the “Dog valley”. This area has remained virtually unchanged since the seventeenth century, with colossal plane trees, among which the Romans love to walk with their pet friends.
Parco dei Daini, also known as “Parco delle prospettive”, is another wooded area where the cardinal loved to indulge in hunting trips. The name comes from the presence of fallow deer and gazelles until the nineteenth century. Today it houses the Silenus fountain, and its avenues are characterized by colossal herms made by Pietro and Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Parco dei Daini can be accessed through the entrance in via Pietro Raimondi, where the prestigious Domus Daini residence is located.
Domus Daini: luxury apartments in the green area of Rome
Domus Daini is a building of the XX century finely restored to house 11 luxury apartments overlooking the delightful gardens of Villa Borghese and, in particular, Parco dei Daini.
Its strategic position will allow the lucky tenants who populate it to live in the city centre and have at their disposal, in addition to the adjacent Villa Borghese, a park and exclusive 5star condominium services.
To find out more about Domus Daini’s luxury apartments in the centre of Rome, contact domusdaini@nervispa.it
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