Galleria Borghese - worth it if traveling with teenagers?

Well, you might consider asking your teenagers that. :-)

I absolutely loved the Borghese and cannot imagine missing out on it, but then I'm not 16, 13, or 11. Bernini's sculptures are just amazing, so if your kids have some appreciation for art or the difficulty of sculpture, they will probably like it.

If they say statues are boring, I would say skip it this time, since the Vatican and Uffizi will already be quite a lot. The main difference is those two museums specialize in paintings while the highlight of the Borghese is the sculptures.

If you do decide to go to the Borghese, definitely invest in the Roma pass, especially since you've planned on the Colosseum/Forum as well. Just note that you still need to reserve with the Borghese in advance and pay the reservation fee (I think 2 euro but it may have gone up). There are lots of posts here on how to do it yourself, or your hotel can make the reservation if you are staying in a hotel.

One other suggestion if your kids aren't museum types but do enjoy ruins and climbing around on things is to take the metro & train south to Ostia Antica. I really enjoyed this place as well, and the kids can go wild climbing the steps of the ampitheater, the apartments, or the baths. The adults can enjoy the beautiful scenery on a nice day. I found Ostia Antica to be the "fun" version of the Colosseum & Forum.

It really depends on your kids. The colosseum/pantheon/forum will take one of your three days. They will love this part of it because of the relative lack of confinement. Make sure they see "Gladiator" before you go so they will get into the colosseum and the wreckage of the forum and the palatine hill. I suggest you put this excursion in the middle of your three days to recover from the four miles of art in the Vatican museum, which you should do on day one. Do the Vatican the first thing in the morning and take the rest of that day at leisure. Schedule Borghese for day 3. The reservation fee is 2 euros, but you don't have to buy your tickets at the same time. So if you're feeling art'd out by day three you just don't show up. Don't worry, there are people waiting to take your place.

The Roma pass is a good deal if you see both the Borghese museum and Colosseum/Palatine Hill attractions. The first two sites you use the card at are free, after which admissions are discounted up to 50%. Note that it is not good at the Vatican. You can't use it either for the Borghese reservations, but it can be used for the Borghese tickets. It's also good for unlimited metro usage and the museum shops at included sites will also give you a discount on souvenirs.

If you buy the Roma pass take Rick's advice. Don't buy it at the Colosseum. Buy it at the entrance to the Palatine Hill (just down the Appian Way from the Colosseum past the Arch of Constantine). There's no line there so you can bypass the ticket line at the Colosseum. The Colosseum and Palatine Hill count as one site on your Roma pass so there is no reason not to do it this way. It includes a pretty good map of Rome by the way so don't spend any extra euros on one.

A good place to walk with the kids is the Via Del Corso. It's basically an outdoor shopping mall. Take the metro to the Piazza del Popolo station. Walk thru the central arch at the south side of the plaza. BTW, look for it in "Angels and Demons"

We've just come back from a trip to Italy in June with our kids (12,10). We spent 3 full days in Rome and found it not very child friendly. Not that the people aren't friendly towards kids but the city itself is really tiring for them.

After doing Colosseum/Forum/Pallatine/Pantheon and the Vatican we were just exhausted. After that we focused on more slower paced sites such as having cappuccinos and hot chocolate on Piazza Novona or strolling past the designer stores you find close to the Spanish Steps.

My 12 yo daughter ended up buying a "Prada" handbag from one of the flying street sellers (haggle! she paid 15 Euros, asking price 50 Euro). For my 10 yo it was important to give her enough time to play in the many fountains that came our way. You can just point out the art and explain it while she's busy playing with the water ;-)

Are you doing any tours of the Roman sites? Old rocks are pretty boring for teens unless somebody can interpret them for you. The audio guides at the Forum are pretty useless, our kids much prefered the tour we had at the Colosseum and the site was thus their favourite in all of Rome.

My husband did the Borghese Gallery on his own before I arrived with the kids in tow. In our case, it would have been overkill to have them along in there.

We had a bit more time in Tuscany to see lots without getting exhausted too quickly. And it fit even better for the kids' school curriculum: Italian Renaissance is a key component in Junior High around here and that's easier to explore in Florence than in Rome. You may want to check with your schools to see what focus would make more sense for you.

In terms of museums Uffizi (very good audio guide!) and Academia in Florence fit well as did the Museo Civico (no lines!) in Siena. Oh, and they picked the torture museum in Siena as their own choice. It was ok but be prepared that most exhibits are in Italian only. Still, it was the kids' choice and as such it became a "must-see".

Go. I'd skip the Uffizi before I'd miss the Borghese. Why should you miss this wonderful place just because it may not appeal to your children? If they are not interested in touring the museum, they are old enough to be left outside relaxing in the park (frisbee anyone?), perhaps with a pic-nic lunch or a snack from the cafe. Save some money and make everyone happy!

We just returned from spending 5 days in Rome with our teenagers (19 and 16). We went to the Vatican several times, saw Pope Benedict on Sunday for the blessing at noon and for the Wednesday audience. I recommend going to the Vatican Museum in the afternoon when there is no line and less crowded.
We got the Rome Pass and used it for the Colosseum/Forum and Borghese, then rode the trains and buses endlessly for 3 days. I thought the Borghese was exceptional and would not miss it! Even my son appreciated its beautiful rooms. The Borghese is a feast for the eyes with its exquisite furnishings. Not everyone may appreciate it but it is smaller than the other museums and located in a beautiful park. Hope this helps! Karen

My 26 year old daughter with a Masters in Italian loved it. My 20 year old was bored. I personally liked Galleria Doria Pamphilj more. Our best day was Ostia Antica,the ancient port of Rome- we all loved it. We found this trip that with a family and the euro so expensive that we didn't choose to see everything. However we travel alot so it's not necessarily a once in a life time trip for us. I don't know how many days you've got in Rome. You don't pay for the reservation online so you can make one and see how they do.

My teen and 10yo twins liked it.
We spent about an hour looking at the art. They have a few things that will make even a teen say WOW!
We used our ROMA Pass to get in, so it was a deal as well.

GO, Go, Go. My kids (13 & 14) really liked all the Bernini sculpture. The huge tomb to Canova in Venice made sense to them once they saw his Venus on a Couch. Some tips: We scheduled the 1:00 time. This allowed us to pack a picnic lunch and chill in the park for about an hour before going in. We used the RS tour in his Rome Guidebook. Enough jokes to make everyone laugh. Use Romapass. Borghese gallery is close to the Spanish steps and Cappucine crypts.

Borghese Gallery visits are limited to 2 hours. I think the kids can stay occupied for this short amount of time. Visit the Gallery and then spend some time in the Villa Borghese park if they seem a bit wound up. You can rent bikes or just stroll around the grounds.

It took us 1.5 hours to go through. My 14 year old said she would have skipped the painting on the second floor, but liked the sculpture.

The Bernini sculpture is worth the trip, its really amazing! Its not a big place, quite small, you can walk through it and appreciate everything in 45 mins.

Sharon - lot of great replies here... I would also say go to the Borghese. The good news for teenagers is there is a 2-hour limit, that's what your ticket is good for. So for them, it would not be an all-day affair! I'd take a lunch picnic, reserve a 1 PM slot, and enjoy the park (Gelato stands abound!)

On that side of town, after looking at the park/museum, head down Via Veneto towards the American Embassy. There you will find HARD ROCK, and T-shirts from there seem to be a souvenir of choice with the teenagers of our visiting friends!

Go further down Veneto and on the left you will see a huge church, the Capuchin Church of the Immaculate Conception built in 1645. Most folks know it as the "bone church." Besides Hard Rock, this is a HUGE draw for kids... because it's kind of ghoulish! The bones of 4,000 monks were used for decorations. All the wall hangings, chandileirs, etc are made of bones.

From there, it's a 50 meter walk to the metro at Barberini and thus easy to get anywhere in town after a "long" day!

Have fun!
Ciao,
Ron

Thanks everyone for taking the time to write your informative and helpful replies. You have given us lots of great ideas for our trip. We leave next week. Thanks again!!

I find it quite interesting that I seem to be the only one to suggest to skip the Borghese. It's not that I don't find it worthwhile (hubby liked it) or too boring for kids. But I was considering the schedule of the entire trip. 3 days in Rome is not that much.

For us day one was filled with the Roman sites and after hitting the Forum Romanum, Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and Trajan Forum it was enough for our jetlagged bodies. The only thing we were able to add after a break was a visit to Rome's oldest Christian church before dinner in Travestere.

Day 2 had the Vatican as a focus and also added Castel Sant'Angelo (as it's next door) and the Pantheon, no way would you want to add another museum like the Borghese after that.

Day 3 we went to the catacombs which took up half a day and the other half we did a bit of "Dolce Vita" by walking over to the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain. Also had a break at Piazza Novona.

I don't think there was anything in there worth dropping in order to make the Borghese. Maybe the catacombs are a "secondary" site for some people. But it was on the wishlist of our children and you do have to take that into account when travelling with kids and teens. And to be honest, I'had never seen a place like that myself and enjoyed it probably more than yet another art collection - especially knowing that there were those ahead of us on our trip as well.

Here's the deal - if the kids aren't enjoying the Borghese Gallery, send them outside to the huge park that surrounds the gallery. It's beautiful.

This is for Beatrix--

I think you have an excellent point, and if you look at Rick's suggested plan for Rome, he doesn't mention the Borghese until--I think--the 4th day of a 7 day plan.

However. I, and probably others, feel that the Borghese is one of the highlights of Rome (subject to one's own personal tastes, of course). For me, I would rather see the Borghese than the Colosseum or even the Sistine Chapel!

Add to that, the fact that the museum doesn't take that long to do, especially with the strict 2-hour time limit, and its beautiful park setting, and most of us would probably opt to squeeze it in.

Sharon--If you want to go to the Borghese gallery, they should be able to handle it. It's a small museum, so even if they are bored they won't be there very long. My experience with taking high schoolers there is that they love it--mixed results with the middle school crowd. Obviously it totally depends on how your kids seem after all the other museums. As others have mentioned, the park is very nice around the gallery--you can rent bikes, etc. and there is a zoo somewhere in the area (although I've never gone). If you want to go and they don't, one option might be to take turns with your husband--let the kids enjoy the park with one adult (or no adults, if you are comfortable) and then switch if they are galleried out. If they are interested there is also a Hard Rock Cafe reasonably close.

One thing that the kids consistently like (esp. middle schoolers) is the Church of San Clemente. It's not an "A-list" site for most adults but has gotten rave reviews from everyone I've taken there. It's an active church, but for a few dollars you can go down into the ruins of previous churches. The kids love it, especially if they are too young to do the Scavi tours. They also tend to find the catacombs very cool.

I have not had any luck making a reservation without buying a ticket online. I sent an e-mail asking about it & was told to call for a reservation. I want to use the Roma Pass. Any help? Thanks!

Sharon: The Galleria Borghese contains some of the worlds most exquisite sculptures in a small, manageable setting. I found the Uffizi extraordinarily important for seeing some of the world's masterpieces, but frankly is it overwhelming and so crowded it's hard to even think. The Borghese, on the other hand, was my absolute favorite art museum of my trip to Rome, Assisi and Florence in June. The Bernini sculptures are breathtaking and so is Antonio Canova's "Paolina." You will be stopped right in your tracks as you step through each door of the next exhibit space.

One thing that might help give your teenagers an art history experience with purpose is to do a comparison of the "David's" beginning with Donatello's in the Bargello (Florence), then Michelangelo's in the Academia (Florence), then Bernini's in the Borghese (Rome). It really is fascinating to see the evolution of how each artist renders their particular interpretation of the story of David and his defeat of Goliath.