Rob and I reserved early morning tickets for a guided tour of the Galleria Borghese and the adjacent secret gardens. The entire area is surrounded by a pleasant tree filled park in which we saw runners, dog walkers and musicians. The museum was originally built for social gatherings and to house a spectacular collection of paintings and ancient sculptures owned by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V. The villa was constructed in the beginning of the 17th century and substantially restored at the end of the 18th century. The gallery represents works by the most renown Italian and foreign artists of the 16th and 17th centuries. Baroque sculptures, including Bernini's David and his statue of Apollo chasing Daphne are magnificent. Most of the archaeological collection was sold by Camillo Borghese, husband of Paolina Bonaparte to Napoleon in 1807 and transferred to the Louve in Paris. 
Later in the day we took the train to Ostia Antica. This is a 2000 year old town that was a thriving port city until the Tiber river was relocated after a flood. We saw the remains of docks, housing, shopping arcades, baths and business districts. A small museum houses some of the excavated finds. We also spoke to several students doing archeological excavation work on behalf of a 3 year program coordinated by Kent in the UK and UCLA in California. It looked like painstaking, precise work under grueling conditions!
Later in the day we took the train to Ostia Antica. This is a 2000 year old town that was a thriving port city until the Tiber river was relocated after a flood. We saw the remains of docks, housing, shopping arcades, baths and business districts. A small museum houses some of the excavated finds. We also spoke to several students doing archeological excavation work on behalf of a 3 year program coordinated by Kent in the UK and UCLA in California. It looked like painstaking, precise work under grueling conditions!
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