For my last day in Rome, I headed first to the Borghese Gallery. As I mentioned in my trip preparations, part of my fascination with Italy is due to my studies of Renaissance art. The Borghese Gallery is known as the "queen of all private collections in the world," with exhibits from Titian, Bernini, Correggio, Caravaggio, and Canova.
Again, I was thankful I made reservations in advance because if I had not, they were only selling tickets for next Wednesday (today was Saturday). But I learned a few things...
First, the online reservation (even if you already paid) does not count as your ticket! I still had to line-up, and the ticket office only opens at 9:00am, so because I made a reservation for 9:00am, I had to get there early to be one of the first in line. Also, I had to watch for line cutters - it reminded me of China the way everyone was trying to shove their way to the front.
Second, I would have called in my reservation instead of making it online. I thought this would have saved me a line-up, but I still needed to pick up a ticket, so no time savings. Another reason for not pre-paying is because I got the Roma Pass, the Borghese admission would have been free (the €30 pass gets you 2 free admissions which covers everything I've done up till this point: the Borghese and the Colosseum/Palatine Hill/Roman Forum, plus unlimited public transportation access). Since I prepaid my Borghese ticket, I used my second free admission on another site (more on that later).
Third, the reservation is only good for one 2-hour visit to the gallery. They have 2-hour slots (starting at 9:00am) and they only let us in at the reservation time and ushered us out once the 2 hours had elapsed. I guess they want to limit the number of people so that it doesn't get unreasonably crowded and hot. They actually combed the entire gallery at the end of each time slot, so no stragglers would get extra time. This means that there's a rush to get in and a rush to leave.
Which brings me to the last point - I was not allowed to bring a bag into the Borghese Gallery. The bag check was free, but it's yet another line. More importantly, getting back to the bag check after viewing the Gallery was a huge pain, fighting everyone else who needed to claim something and the people in the next time slot who needed to drop off their bags.
All that being said, it was definitely worth going to see. I wasn't allowed to take any photos, but that meant I could concentrate on all the art and read about the pieces that were of greatest interest, especially since there was a 2-hour time limit. All the artwork - paintings and sculptures - are displayed in rooms that are masterpieces in themselves, similar to the Stanze di Raffaello in the Vatican. But in the Borghese Gallery, I'd say the quality is even more impressive than the Vatican. There is no question of what is real and what isn't - everything is original.
I think my favourite pieces (ones I went back for in my last few minutes) were the sculptures by Bernini. Seeing them in person made my skin tingle - every detail, the captured emotions, the impossibly smooth contours. I'm not sure whether this is the best collection of Bernini, but it ought to be - there are works from when he was a kid (1609)!
After I was ushered out, I took a stroll through the Borghese Gardens. This was exactly what I needed to recharge after being surrounded by the city crowds - it reminded me of Stanley Park, and I relished the fresh air and sunshine until my stomach grumbled for food. Luckily, there are various places to grab a bite to eat within the gardens, so I picked a caffè next to the Gallery of Modern Art and had a light lunch.
Next, because I needed to use that 2nd free admission from my Roma Pass, I thought of checking out the Museo Nazionale degli Strumenti Musicali since it would offer me a bit of a break from all the "Ancient Rome" exhibits. It wasn't until I got to the museum that I noticed it was closed - apparently, it's been under renovation since June 2012! Disappointed, I decided to go to the National Museum of Rome instead, despite knowing that it contained more "Ancient Rome".
Boy, was I glad I went to the Museo Nazionale Romano/Palazzo Massimo! It gave me a much greater appreciation for the city and the many ruins that can be found everywhere in Rome. I spent a few hours there, reading all the descriptions and lingering on each exhibit, and learned about the history of Rome. There were sculptures of all the rulers, a history of the currency and how it progressed to the Lira from Denari, sculptures showing the influence of Greek mythology, and an amazing collection of frescos and mosaics found throughout the city (some from when they built the Termini station and some from the new excavation sites within Palatine Hill). Leaving the museum, I felt a bit lighter on my tired feet - having lifted some of the disdain I felt for Rome.
Rome definitely has its downsides (no pickpocketing though, which was great) in its grittiness and pollution, but it has such a rich history. It was the great powerhouse - the center of western civilization, the source of so much innovation that we've benefited from - and will always be a place of continual education. Exploring the city was tiring, but what I experienced was incredible.
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