Z – Zesty

The zesty photo that illustrates this final post was taken in the grounds of the Galleria Borghese (Borghese Museum and Gallery) – in the magnificent gardens of Villa Borghese.

The exhibits are housed on several floors of the 17th century villa. Masterpieces tussle with each other, competing to outshine their rivals, they all offer the wow factor.

One floor is dedicated to sculpture and there are two pieces in particular that I will never forget. Pauline Bonaparte by Antonio Canova and the Rape of Proserpina by Bernini are simply exquisite. Photos can’t possibly do them justice – even if I were allowed to reproduce them. Throw in Caravaggio’s Boy With a Bucket of Fruit, and I suspect a visit here would satisfy the fussiest of art fanatic.

Since my visit I’ve often spotted exhibits from the collection on TV, in programmes about either the artists or Italian art in general.

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And so that brings to a close my contribution to this year’s A–Z Challenge. I do hope you’ve enjoyed my tour of Rome.

Much of the content was based on a book I self-published earlier this year My Roman Holiday. I’m not suggesting you buy it, it’s a self-indulgent memoir stuffed full of my holiday snaps. 

I wrote it because I wanted to try Amazon’s CreateSpace paperback publishing service. If you’re considering self-publishing a book, have a look at my jargon-free website that explains how I did it. Follow the link by clicking here.