Staying in Rome: spending Ferragosto in Rome, visiting museums and having pleasant picnics in the parks

Ferragosto in Rome? Here you are what to do!

The Eternal City is nowadays still rich in secrets and extraordinary unmissable places. For this reason, even on Ferragosto, you can perform a wide range of activities: you can visit the museums - so numerous in the capital of Italy - or go to one of the various Roman parks to have a picnic. The Ferragosto celebration, moreover, is an extraordinary event to discover a different side of what is nowadays one of the most famous cities in the world. In addition to the possibility of visiting the museums or having picnics, the idea of making real excursions with the intention of seeing some less famous buildings of Rome can be taken into consideration. The choice, in short, is so vast anyone can get astonished. Do you need some ideas to spend Ferragosto in Rome without getting bored? Here you are a few.

The Vatican Museums

Hosting one of the most famous and vast collections of art in the world, the Vatican Museums undoubtedly represent one of the most important cultural places to see in Rome. Arranged in hundreds of rooms, galleries and halls, the Vatican Museums contain thousands of treasures ranging from antiquity to the present days, including sculptures, paintings, tapestries and frescoes. The museums date back to 1506, when Pope Julius II showed the people of Rome an ancient sculpture, - the "Laocoon and his sons" - exhibiting it in the Vatican. The incomparable treasure of these Museums is the Sistine Chapel, frescoed with the works by Michelangelo, a landmark of Renaissance art that shows the doctrine of the Catholic Church and describes the creation, in addition to the other stories of the Old Testament. The visit here will also be fun: the art collection is one of those able to amaze anyone.

The Borghese Gallery

Immersed in the greenery of the Villa Borghese park, the Borghese Gallery is one of the most noteworthy museums in Rome. The residence with the garden was commissioned in 1613 by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, an avid art collector, to house his impressive collection of Roman, Renaissance and Baroque art. With its extraordinary sculptures by Bernini and numerous paintings by Caravaggio, Raphael and Titian, the museum is a jewel that demonstrates the artistic power and reflects Scipione Borghese's personal refinement. The visit is perfect for both children and adults: there are so many things to see and are perfectly suited to the most diverse age groups.

The Capitoline Museums

Located on the Campidoglio, the Capitoline Museums were the first exhibition rooms open to the public. Precisely from there, the trend to deposit art objects in rooms to opened to the public started. The collection of the Capitoline Museums dates back to 1471 when Pope Sixtus IV donated a collection of important bronze statues to the people of Rome. These museums developed slowly to accommodate innumerable works of art and in 1734 Pope Clement XII opened them to the public; contain an incredible collection of ancient Roman statues in bronze and marble, medieval and Renaissance art and various elaborate frescoes; they also allow you to enjoy one of the best views of the Roman Forum.

The National Gallery of Modern Art

Founded in 1883, it is adjacent to the park of Villa Borghese and is a large space in the capital dedicated to modern and contemporary art. Located inside the neoclassical Palazzo delle Belle Arti, the museum's works of art are enhanced by the monumental architecture of the building. The Gallery includes the largest collection of 19th and 20th century paintings and sculptures in Italy, with numerous works by Italian artists on display, including Giacomo Balla, Giorgio de Chirico, Amedeo Modigliani and Giorgio Morandi. You can also admire a collection of works by international artists such as Kandinsky, Pollock, Calder and Van Gogh. In short, visiting this place is mandatory if you want to broaden your artistic horizons.

Palazzo Doria Pamphili

The sumptuous Galleria Doria Pamphili occupies a privileged position on the lively Via del Corso, but it looks like a hidden gem: one would never say that this palace contains royal treasures. The gallery contains one of the largest private art collections in Rome and includes important works by Raphael, Bernini, Caravaggio, Guercino and Domenichino. The highlight of the collection is the Portrait of Innocent X, by Diego Velazquez and the magnificent Galleria degli Specchi, a frescoed room with vaulted ceilings and gilded mirrors.

Ideas for picnics

In addition to a wide range of really beautiful museums, the Eternal City is also home to a vast array of parks with nothing short of extraordinary beauty. Among the main parks, Villa Borghese stands out: it is the typical Italian garden flanked by the museum structure of which we have already spoken before. The whole area is surrounded by numerous ponds and many fountains. Moreover, everywhere you can relax having picnics, as the area is well equipped from this point of view.

Another ideal place for picnics is represented by the park of Villa Ada. It is a romantic place, full of fascinating plant species and a solitary atmosphere. The place is actually really immense and sometimes you can find numerous musical shows, various performances by Italian (and not) artists and much more. To have a picnic there means, therefore, to give yourself the chance to admire one of the most sumptuous parks in the whole Capital.

The park near the Eur little lake

Are you looking for an equally beautiful and solitary place? Then you can't really ignore the park near the artificial Eur lake. Especially in spring, this place gets incredibly beautiful: the lush local bloom colours the whole landscape giving it a surrealistic atmosphere. Rediscovering this area at weekends is a satisfaction for unforgettable and magical ones.