It was a lovely autumn day at Villa Borghese. An older gentleman was playing the accordion. A family scooted by on a family bike. And the funny little train that runs around the park trundled by. I had already visited the Loggia dei Vini and the LAVINIA art installation, so I was off to another little spot in the park.

 

I smiled as I walked by the Borghese family symbol, a dragon. This one’s small size and goofy grin made it rather cute.

Then I walked down this lovely avenue…

Inside the walls are various gardens that are, unfortunately, not normally open to the public. I stuck my phone through the fence’s bars for a couple photos.

 

I was heading to a garden that I could actually enter. It’s called a Secret Garden, but it wasn’t a secret to me. The Giardino delle Erme (Garden of the Hermes) opened to the public this summer after extensive restoration.  And it is utterly charming.

The garden originated in the 17th century. It has a particularly lovely entrance gate, where two dragons — much bigger and scarier than the ones I had just walked by — are perched atop the entrance.

 

 

 

 

The garden welcomes you with a long view down a pristine white gravel path that crunches underfoot.

 

At the center of the garden is an ancient Roman basin, converted to a fountain.

At the end of the garden is an ancient Roman sarcophagus.

 

As I walked back to the entrance, the reverse side of the massive gate presented an interesting shape. Beyond it was another massive gate leading to another garden — one which, alas, I could not go into.

For a while I sat on a bench, enjoying this verdant setting. A flock of wild parrots were chattering noisily. Some very well behaved dogs were running about joyously. And I sat and soaked in the sun for a while. It was another glorious day in the Eternal City.