Galleria Borghese expansion plan sparks preservationist backlash

A privately funded feasibility study for an addition to Rome's Galleria Borghese has ignited controversy. The €900,000 initiative, sponsored by Italian engineering firm Proger, would fund an international architecture competition and study exploring new exhibition and visitor spaces within the Villa Borghese Pinciana grounds. Museum officials cite operational constraints: timed entry limits of 360 visitors per two-hour slot (about 4,000 daily), weeks-long reservation waits, inaccessible storage, and poor accessibility. Visitor numbers hit a record 630,760 in 2025, up from 506,000 a decade earlier. Preservation groups Italia Nostra Roma and Amici di Villa Borghese oppose any new construction in the historically sensitive landscape. Director Francesca Cappelletti stated at a May 18 press conference that no project exists yet, only a broader study. She noted underground expansion, like at the Frick Collection or Städel Museum, is "intriguing" but requires extensive archaeological study due to Rome's subsoil. Cappelletti called the criticism premature, as no competition brief has been issued. She welcomed public suggestions, including adaptive reuse of existing structures, which the museum had previously explored but abandoned due to "objective difficulties." A winner could be selected by end of 2026, per ANSA.