Sometimes in art, just as in investigative journalism, you have to follow the money.

Those artists who found their way to Rome and into the good graces of the Borghese family were doing just that. For in 1605, one of the Borgheses was elevated to become Pope Paul V, and he appointed his libertine, art-savvy nephew Scipione Borghese as Cardinal and as chief of all the papal affairs.

(Fun Fact: The word in Italian for "nephew" is "napote." From that we derive the English term "nepotism," which means to award unearned power and influence to relatives. Until 1692, "Cardinal-Nephew" was an actual official position at the Vatican so that officially childless popes could have a trusted family member as an advisor.)

Scipione Borghese was already well-to-do, and becoming a Cardinal enriched him further still. And Cardinal Borghese went absolutely gaga over collecting and displaying art. He championed the painter Caravaggio and the sculptor and architect Bernini. Caravaggio lost out early on because, although talented, he was also a murderous thug and had to flee Rome to avoid prosecution.

Bernini, on the other hand, kept his baser urges within bounds and went on to leave his artistic stamp all over Catholic Rome: He designed St. Peter's square and sculpted the statues that tower above it. He redesigned much of the interior of St. Peter's, including the bronze canopy over the altar, the "dove window," altar carvings, and the Pope's "cathedra" in the apse. And as mentioned elsewhere, he designed the Trevi Fountain.

Cardinal Borghese constructed a villa in northern Rome, surrounded it with luscious parkland and gardens, and went about turning it into a virtual museum to display much of the art treasures he had acquired. And he went about exercising his ecclesiastical power to finagle art into his own hands, all the while suggesting it was for the good of the Church.

Today the Galleria Borghese continues to preserve the villa as an art museum where Baroque era art is interspersed with ancient Roman works. I visited there on Sunday, after taking some time to poke around the sculpture garden. They do not allow photography within the gallery, so check out the link above and look online for examples, particularly the Bernini works (Apollo and Daphne," "David," and "Pluto and Proserpina") some Caravaggio paintings, and Canova's nude sculpture of Napoleon's sister Pauline.

While I couldn't take photos inside the gallery, I've included some pictures from the grounds and the gardens. If you wish to visit, I highly recommend getting reservations online. I was glad I had thought ahead, because the Gallery staff were turning those without reservations away at the door.

Blog to you later.