The Borghese Gallery is simply amazing. You have space (especially if you go round backwards - as everyone is let in together try turning away from the crowds) and the most stunning sculpture in Italy. The Bernini done when he was a child is incredible. The Vatican Museum is my next best museum but oh, the crowds. This is really special.

We actually would have liked longer and used the audio guide and guide book avidly. Even the 6 year old was riveted. I felt that we rushed the paintings and next time am going to book two separate visits so that we can start with the paintings the second time.

It is a bit of a trek off the main routes. Bus or taxi a good idea and be early. They let your booking go otherwise.

Just do not miss it. Pony ride in the gardens went down well afterwards too.

Tickets: The advanced ticket buying process is a pain in the rear, but I understand why they do it. When I was in the Galleria, I appreciated the fact that the museum limits how many people can enter and how long each person can stay. It was so much better than most of the other places we went, because we didn't have to deal with huge, noisy crowds.

Museum: The entire building seems to be decorated. It is as though each surface is covered in detailed ornamentation. I had seen many photos before visiting, but I could not fully fathom just how ornately decorated each wall, ceiling and floor truly is. You only visit two floors. There are a few key artworks on the second floor, but not that many. I suggest quickly passing through the second floor and saving most of your time for the Bernini sculptures, celing frescos, and Caravaggio paintings.

Art: Amazing! Amazing! Amazing! I just cannot stress this enough. The Bernini's are incredible and so much more magnificent in person. The Caravaggio paintings are more colorful in person. The ceiling frescos-well, let's just say that it is easy to understand why a couple of them are so important in the grand scheme of the art world. One of them directly quotes Michelangelo's color usage in a really obvious way. Just amazing.

Food/Drink/A Place to Sit: There is a moderately priced cafe. However, expect to pay extra and to wait a long time if you want a seat. You can stand and drink at the bar, like most places in Europe, but know that there really is no where to sit in the entire museum, except for the cafe and a bench or two in the hallway.

Gift Shop: Limited selection of items, many of which are lame or just not entirely relevant to the collection you just saw.

Tip: There is a Metro station closer to the Galleria Borghese, just outside the grounds, across the street. It is within maybe three or four blocks or 3/4 of a mile from the Galleria.

Hidden in one of the largest parks in the City, the Galleria Borghese is a must for anyone who is passionate about art. They have all the big names of the Baroque housed in the collection, Bernini, Carravaggio, and more.
Bernini's name is all over the city, from St. Peter's Church and Square, to Piazza Navona to many other churches, squares, and fountains. The statues he created for Card. Borghese are hard to put in words---amazing to say the least.
During low season it is easier to get in without reservations, but in the summer reservations are a must. There are 3 2-hour slots to get in, and you are only allowed 2 hours to see the collections.
In my opinion, this is th #2 museum that you should see in the city, after the Vatican Museums. (Other museums cannot stand up to the vast collection of the Vatican).

You have to go downstairs through the center door and there was an absolutely chaotic line. We then had to go to check our bags at the desk on the other side of the room. After that, you have to exit and then go upstairs to the museum entrance.

We have a 2 hour allotment. It was 2 stores filled with fabulous sculpture and paintings. This is where Pluto & Prosperina, Apollo & Daphne and the Venus statue (with Paolina Borghese) are. Bernini's works are visually stunning and can see the emotions and muscles of the pieces.

They also have somewhat of a secret and very clean bathroom in between the first and second floors. We stroll through both floors, sit on the wide salon couches in the upstairs rooms and soak in all the paintings around us. We also head down to the gift shop, buy some postcards as photos are not allowed. The employees are fine but not friendly. We only used up an hour and a half of our 2 hour allotment.

After, we stroll through the gardens and walk through Villa Borghese (the bigger park outside of the Galleria) to Via Veneto. The Galleria is located is a very vast park, so be sure to give yourself enough time to get there.