The Borghese Gallery houses the most significant collection of Baroque art in Rome. During our tour we will take a close look at several masterpieces, including: Sacred and Profane Love by Titian, various works of art by Caravaggio, Bernini, Rubens, Raphael, Botticelli, Canova and other great masters of the Renaissance and Baroque.

It is difficult to describe the beauty and the preciousness of the Borghese Gallery – you must see it yourself. The Gallery was originally the residence of Cardinal Scipione Borghese, an avid collector of art from several different periods.

Bernini and Caravaggio are two of the most noteworthy among the artists whose work is on display at the Borghese Gallery. Visiting this house of masterpieces is a truly enjoyable experience, as the number of visitors allowed to enter is limited.

Free from the rush of the crowd, we will have the time to explore what it meant at the time to be an art collector (and of course a lover of good food and wine), and have a brief look at the most famous public park in Rome.

Art is often symbolic; to the modern eye, however, the symbolism of paintings of past eras may have lost their significance.

• What is the significance of the different fruits and other food that the Virgin Mary and Jesus are depicted with in the artworks of various eras?
• What is the symbolism of the particular food that we find on the table of the many “Last Supper” paintings, or in the beautiful works of Carvaggio?

Even the particular herbs which were cultivated in the private garden of Cardinal Borghese are symbols for his princely status.