Villa Borghese is Rome's Central Park — 80 hectares of gardens, lakes, temples, and museums on the hill above Piazza del Popolo and Via Veneto. Inside: the Galleria Borghese (the museum), a lake with rowing boats (€5/20 min), a bike rental circuit (€5/h), the Bioparco (Rome's zoo, €18), the Globe Theatre (Shakespeare replica, summer performances), the Pincio terrace (the most famous sunset viewpoint in Rome), and enough umbrella pines to make every Instagram photo look like a movie still. Free entry to the park. Open sunrise to sunset.
Best activities: Rowing on the lake (Laghetto, €5/20 min — a Doric temple on the island, ducks, turtles). Bike rental (multiple stands, €5/h — circuit the park on paths). Pincio terrace (west side, facing St. Peter's dome — arrive 30 min before sunset for the golden hour over Rome). Bioparco (€18 adults, €13 kids — 200 species, conservation-focused). Globe Theatre (silvano-toti.it — Shakespeare in Italian, summer evenings). Cinema dei Piccoli (smallest cinema in Europe, children's films).
Access: From Piazza del Popolo (stairs to Pincio). From Via Veneto (Porta Pinciana). From Piazzale Flaminio (tram 19). Metro A Flaminio or Spagna. Combine: Borghese Gallery (pre-booked) → park walk → Pincio sunset → Piazza del Popolo aperitivo.