Villa Borghese: the gardens and the Pincio terrace
Rome's great park, a lake with a temple, and the terrace over Piazza del Popolo at sunset. This is a Claude-drafted route awaiting the editor's walk.

1. Piazza del Popolo and the Pincio ramp
Start in the great oval square with the obelisk and the twin churches. The path up to the gardens is the ramp on the eastern side, climbing in long curves — take it slowly and the square shrinks beautifully below you.

2. Terrazza del Pincio
The terrace at the top, and the reason for the afternoon timing: Piazza del Popolo, the city's roofline, and St Peter's dome on the skyline, best as the light goes gold. Crowded at sunset for good reason; come a little before.

3. Galleria Borghese
Across the gardens, the cardinal's villa holding Bernini's *Apollo and Daphne* and Caravaggios in rooms the size you can actually take them in. You must book a timed slot in advance — they cap numbers hard. Even if you skip inside, the formal garden out front is worth the walk.

4. The Casina Valadier and the laghetto
The boating lake with the little Ionic temple of Aesculapius on its island — you can row out for half an hour. The Casina Valadier nearby is the grand café-restaurant on the slope; the terrace is the draw whether or not you stop.

5. Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna
On the park's northern edge, a vast white gallery of 19th- and 20th-century Italian art — Canova, the Macchiaioli, a Klimt. The least-visited big museum in Rome and a fine cool hour. Skip if the day's for walking.

6. Piazza di Siena and out to Spagna
The grassy oval where the horse show runs each spring, ringed by umbrella pines. Cut south through the gardens to the Spagna exit, which drops you by the top of the Spanish Steps and the Metro A.

Villa Borghese: the gardens and the Pincio terrace