Our last full day in Italy—bittersweet! We were starting to crave the comforts of home, but at the same time, we definitely weren’t ready to say goodbye yet.

We kicked off the morning at our favorite cafe, Il Baretto. One of the reasons we loved it so much was that you could pay inside, which saved us from waiting forever for the check. Having a reliable spot for breakfast also made it easy to manage our time.

At 1 PM, we had a tour booked at the Borghese Gallery. Not wanting to deal with cabs, we risked navigating the buses, with success this time! It seems that the buses were fine away from busy areas like the station and the stadium. And I’m so glad we opted for a guided tour because art museums can feel overwhelming with so much to take in. Having a knowledgeable guide really helped bring the artwork to life.

The Borghese Gallery was originally a private collection started by Scipione Borghese in the 1600s, and it features pieces from legendary artists like Bernini, Caravaggio, and Raphael.

One of the first sculptures we saw was Bernini’s Rape of Proserpina, a stunning work based on Roman mythology, where Proserpina is abducted by Pluto to take to the underworld (Persephone and Hades in Greek.) Bernini somehow made marble look like soft skin—there’s a part where Pluto’s hand presses into Proserpina’s thigh, and it looks so real! I’ve never seen anything like it.

Next, we saw Apollo and Daphne, another masterpiece by Bernini. In the myth, Daphne transforms into a tree while Apollo chases her. The details are incredible—you can see her toes turning into roots! As you walk around the sculpture, the story unfolds: from one angle, you see a woman, but from another, it’s just Apollo holding a tree. Such a clever touch!

We also saw Bernini’s David, which stands out because it captures David in the act of slaying Goliath, unlike other statues that show him before or after the battle. Our guide pointed out that Bernini loved to capture action, and you can definitely feel that energy in his work.

After admiring Bernini’s sculptures, we learned about Caravaggio’s dramatic paintings and saw some more Raphael pieces. The gallery also had beautiful mosaics that were so finely detailed, I didn’t realize they were mosaics at first! Overall, this museum was such a different experience compared to others we’ve visited—it had more sculptures than frescoes and paintings, making for a nice change of pace.

After the tour, we grabbed a quick bite at the cafeteria before exploring the gorgeous grounds of the Villa Borghese. The sun even made an appearance, brightening up the afternoon!

We bussed back to the hotel to rest a bit before heading to Trastevere for dinner. This area is known for its foodie scene, and I wish we had more time to explore! On the recommendation of our concierge, we had dinner at Da Vittorio de Trastevere. We started with cacio e pepe chips, then I had the carbonara, and Jordan went with the gnocchi. For the main course, we split the Saltimbocca alla Romana, which is veal wrapped in prosciutto and topped with gravy. And of course, more wine!

On the way back, we made one last gelato stop. It was good, but nothing tops the cinnamon gelato from Perche No! in Florence. We also paused to enjoy some street performers before strolling back to Campo de Fiori.

Even then, we weren’t quite ready to head to bed, so we stopped at another restaurant for a final drink on the square. I can’t believe we’re leaving tomorrow! We’ve got one last early start—we’re out at 7 AM for a 10:30 AM flight.

And that’s the end of our Italy chronicles! If you’ve made it this far, I’m impressed! I hope you enjoyed following along, thank you for bearing with all my history facts, and I can’t wait for our next adventure!

Caio!