Galleria Borghese

This guide to the Galleria Borghese in Rome centers on Cardinal Scipione Borghese, the nephew of Pope Paul V who built this collection through confiscated tax debts and a Raphael altarpiece quietly swapped out of a Perugia church. It follows Gian Lorenzo Bernini from his teenage years in Scipione's service through the string of masterworks he produced at extraordinary speed. Look closely at the two nearly identical marble busts of the cardinal displayed side by side, and see if you can spot what set Bernini off on a three-day sprint to carve the second one.