In fact, Rome has many beautiful parks and green spaces.
My sketchbook professor took our class to one of these parks on the south side of the Gianicolo Hill. It was massive! There were Romans everywhere walking their dogs, playing soccer, having picnics, and reading on benches.
The middle of the park was home to a beautiful, white marble palace. Before this was a park, it was simply some rich guy's backyard.
There, I also discovered the only socially acceptable place to go running in Rome. One thing I don't quite understand; in Rome, it's not socially acceptable to run in the streets, but it is socially acceptable to drink alcohol in them.
Since I was there for my art class, I couldn't just sit around, I had to sit around and draw. Here's my favorite piece from that afternoon.
Very relaxing.
It had inspired me to discover some other parks in Rome. Last Friday, I wondered to the Villa Borghese. This park is much more popular than the other one and it is also more formally maintained. This park has many separate, distinct areas. There's an artificial lake on one side and a beautiful fountain on the other. There are vast open spaces and dense wooded areas. There's a zoo a cafe and a bunch of museums.
Very beautiful and very diverse.
This park was originally the home of the Borghese family. It is richly populated with their old collections of baroque art. The Borghese family was wealthy enough to establish their own private stadium in their backyard. Today, people utilize it for personal exercise.
This general theme of redistributing private belongings to the public is evident throughout the history of modern Rome.
The famous Galleria Borghese is located there and is home to a substantial collection of Bernini works. I went to visit it only to discover that they require reservations. They were booked until next week, so I reserved a spot for Thursday afternoon.
The parks in Rome are quietly overlooked. I was lucky enough to have a class which introduced me to this part of Rome. I can't wait to share my discovery with my family and Laura when they get here. I miss all of you guys!
