The Borghese Gallery: From Raphael to Bernini: The History of a Collection
From November 22, 2025, to March 29, 2026, the Monumental Complex of San Francesco in Cuneo hosts a major exhibition promoted by the CRC Foundation and Intesa Sanpaolo on the extraordinary collecting career of Cardinal Scipione Caffarelli Borghese. From November 22, 2025, to March 29, 2026, the Monumental Complex of San Francesco in Cuneo hosts "The Borghese Gallery. From Raphael to Bernini. History of a Collection," a major exhibition promoted by the CRC Foundation and Intesa Sanpaolo, with the organizational support of MondoMostre. The exhibition will be open Tuesday through Friday from 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm (morning opening by reservation for schools and groups), while on Saturdays and Sundays it will be open continuously from 10:00 am to 7:30 pm. Free admission.
The Exhibition: The Story of a Collection
The exhibition recounts the extraordinary collecting career of Cardinal Scipione Caffarelli Borghese (1577–1633), a central figure in seventeenth-century Rome and a key figure in the Baroque art scene. A visionary patron and tireless collector, Scipione shaped a modern model of collecting, founded on criteria of quality and aesthetic coherence, capable of combining personal taste and dynastic legitimacy.
The nephew of Pope Paul V, the cardinal established himself as one of the leading cultural promoters of his era: he supported ambitious architectural undertakings, transformed Villa Borghese into an ideal museum designed to house and showcase his collection, and built, with often daring methods, a collection destined to become one of the most celebrated in Europe. His passion ranged from antiquities to Renaissance masters, all the way to the most advanced Baroque art.
Through a selection of masterpieces by artists such as Titian, Jacopo Bassano, and Guido Reni, from the Borghese Gallery and housed in the Monumental Complex of San Francesco, the exhibition traces the artistic choices of the cardinal and his descendants. The works demonstrate Scipione's ability to shape artistic taste and gather representative examples of the various Italian painting schools, conveying the variety and uniqueness of an unparalleled collection.
An exhibition to be experienced
The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalog published by Allemandi, with scholarly contributions by Ettore Giovanati, with the participation of Lucia Calzona and Antonio Iommelli. As in previous editions, the exhibition will be enriched by a rich program of complementary events both inside and outside the exhibition, conferences and in-depth sessions, guided tours for the public, activities and workshops for schools of all levels, families, and visitors of all ages. It will also be possible to visit the exhibition independently thanks to free audio guides in Italian and English, with one dedicated to adults and one for children. For accessibility purposes, the content will also be supplemented with audio-visual materials, also available in LIS.
Free guided tours of the exhibition are scheduled every Saturday and Sunday at 3:30 PM and 6:00 PM. Reservations are required. Guided tours of the exhibition "The Borghese Gallery: from Raphael to Bernini" lead the public through the spaces of the Monumental Complex of San Francesco to discover the universe of Cardinal Scipione Caffarelli Borghese: a figure capable of transforming his passion into a cultural project that left its mark on history.
Exhibition ticket holders will be entitled to reduced-price admission to the Gallerie d'Italia in Turin, Milan, Vicenza, and Naples until June 30, 2026.
