My Last-Minute Ticket to Borghese Gallery: A Bernini Masterpiece Hunt! 🏛️🎨

#summervacay I finally visited the Borghese Gallery in Rome, home to some of Bernini's most incredible sculptures! Having grown up hearing about Bernini, a true young genius, it was amazing to see his classic works. You can really feel the huge difference in sculptural styles between here and St. Peter's Basilica. Michelangelo focused on power and muscle with rigid forms, while Bernini captured beauty and dynamic motion. I knew getting tickets online for Borghese was almost impossible, but I heard about their last-minute ticket sales on-site. They release 13 tickets 15 minutes before each hour's entry slot. I arrived at 8:30 AM for the 9:00 AM entry, putting me sixth in line for tickets that started selling at 8:45 AM. The gallery wasn't too crowded when I first got in, but by around 9:30 AM, it definitely started filling up, so I highly recommend going early! Just head through the small door at the bottom of the stairs (as shown in picture 2) to enter. My absolute favorite piece was "Apollo and Daphne" (Apollo e Dafne), pictured in your photo 7. This work depicts Apollo chasing Daphne, and her face is filled with terror as her fingers morph into leaves, her body transforms into a laurel tree, and her toes become roots, with laurel blossoms just starting to appear. Observing these details up close was truly breathtaking! Most sculptures from this period are static, but Bernini's works capture a state of transformation. While visually still, they evoke infinite imagination, creating an incredible sense of dynamism. These are truly "frozen poems" come to life. #borghesegallery #rome #bernini #apolloanddaphne #italianart #sculpture #arthistory #museums