Villa Borghese, a wonderful large park, is within an easy walk of our apartment.

 

 

The park is vast — and full of little surprises. We recently read about something we didn’t even know existed, the Loggia dei Vini, which roughly translates as the outdoor pavilion of wine. After being closed for decades, but recently partially restored, it’s now open to the public. So off we went.

The loggia was built between 1609 and 1618 by Cardinal Scipione Borghese.

It was designed as a summer entertainment space for parties where, as the name suggests, they hung out and drank wine (and apparently ate sorbet too).

 

The loggia was connected to the cardinal’s lovely palazzo (today’s Galleria Borghese) by a tunnel. Because it is in a low area, it would stay cooler in the hot Roman summers. Moreover, it included running water, which was used to keep the wine cool, too! To make things even easier, the loggia was also connected to an underground wine cellar. Very practical, in my opinion.

The oval loggia boasts ornate stucco moldings and a ceiling fresco painted by Archita Ricci which depicts The Banquet of the Gods, that is, the ancient Roman gods enjoying a feast and drinking wine, just as the Cardinal’s guests would do. It’s a lovely little space.

 

 

 

 

 

As an added bonus, the loggia currently hosts a contemporary art installation, LAVINIA, named in honor of one of Rome’s famous early women artists, Lavinia Fontana. The exhibition, which runs until January 26, 2025, was quite interesting. More on the art installation, and the fascinating Lavinia Fontana herself, in our next posts.