Outside the Walls along Corso d’Italia stands the splendid Villa Borghese, a suburban residence commissioned in 1608 by Scipione Borghese Caffarelli, nephew of Pope Paul V. Initially laid out in Renaissance style by architects Flaminio Ponzio and Giovanni Vasanzio, the gardens were later remodeled in the 18th century with tree-lined avenues and architectural vistas. Expanded in the 19th century, the estate was sold to the Italian State in 1901 and later passed to the City of Rome as Villa Umberto I. At its center is the Casino Borghese, now the Borghese Gallery, home to masterpieces by Bernini, Titian, Canova, Caravaggio, and Raphael.
