Villa Borghese

Rome's most famous and most visited park — 80 hectares of landscaped gardens, pine-lined avenues, statues, fountains, and small lakes, on the Pincian Hill above Piazza del Popolo. Created in the early 17th century by Cardinal Scipione Borghese as a private aristocratic estate, opened to the public in 1903. Houses the world-famous Galleria Borghese (Bernini, Caravaggio), the Bioparco zoo, the National Etruscan Museum at Villa Giulia, the National Gallery of Modern Art (GNAM), the Globe Theatre (a wooden Shakespearean replica), and the Pincio terrace. Rent a rowboat on the small artificial lake or a bike at one of the entrances. The single most useful green-space anchor in Rome — within walking distance of the Spanish Steps.