Some Trip Highlights
• Conference facilities at the one-of-a-kind Hotel de Russie including HD projection, coffee breaks, break-out rooms and VIP meeting rooms
Hotel de Russie
The Hotel de Russie is a luxury five-star hotel located in the heart of Rome between the Spanish Steps and Piazza del Popolo on the Via del Babuino. The hotel is within easy walking distance of Rome's key attractions, fashion houses and Via Condotti. The Vatican City, with St Peter's and the Sistine Chapel, is just a ten-minute walk from the Hotel de Russie while Piazza Navona and the Trevi Fountain are also within easy access.
Hotel de Russie provides a stunning feature - extensive, terraced gardens, the “Secret Garden” ,so called because hidden behind the building which overlooks Via del Babuino provides a tranquil oasis amidst the bustle of central Rome where you can dine alfresco at “Le Jardin de Russie” Restaurant or enjoy a peaceful stroll.
• Morning visiting Ancient Rome with an expert art-historian
• Foodie option: A visit of the marvellous fresh food market with an expert local chef, followed by a hands-on cooking class in his studio.
• Wine option: A trip out to Frascati that will take in tastings at some of the top producers in the region and a presentation by one of the best known sommeliers in the city.
• Active option: A short transfer out of the city to hike in the wonderful Lazio region. Here you have a chance to enjoy the wonderful local flora and fauna as well as see the Tiber in its most tranquil guise. The city is not far but it feels a million miles away.
• Golf option: A short transfer away to Golf Club Fioranello to play on one of the oldest courses in Italy. In the heart of the Roman countryside, Fioranello golf course offers spectacular views with ancient Roman aqueducts and a wonderful clubhouse for a relaxed lunch.
• Art option: Private tour of the Borghese Gallery and its gardens.
The Borghese Gallery
The Galleria Borghese houses a substantial part of the Borghese collection of paintings, sculpture and antiquities, begun by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, the nephew of Pope Paul V (reign 1605–1621). The Villa was built by the architect Flaminio Ponzio, developing sketches by Scipione Borghese himself, who used it as a villa suburbana, a party villa at the edge of Rome.
Scipione Borghese was an early patron of Bernini and an avid collector of works by Caravaggio, who is well represented in the collection by his Boy with a Basket of Fruit, St. Jerome, Sick Bacchus and others. Other paintings of note include Titian's Sacred and Profane Love, Raphael's Entombment of Christ and works by Peter Paul Rubens and Federico Barocci.
• After-hours private visit of the Vatican Museums.
• Private gala dinner in Palazzo Corsini.
Palazzo Corsini
The collection, formed in the XVIII century, although composed from various sources mostly originating from the Corsini family (above all from the collection of cardinal Lorenzo), is unique in the sense that it is still intact today. It shows clearly the taste of Neri Corsini, nephew of the Pope Clement XII. In 1883 the Palace was sold to the Italian State with its collection, which thus formed the basis of the National Gallery of Ancient Art and only recently has been replaced in its original site.