Abstract:

Historical cities, like any organism living in nature, adapt to changing conditions of daily life and go through an urban development process by preserving the cultural values that make up the historical texture of the city as well as fulfilling the city’s requirements. Historical urban parks reflect the socio-cultural structure, thought and life philosophy and space setup of the old society. These areas are assessed as vital city components today since their urban locations are valuable and suited to the new urban space needs. Construction of Villa Borghese, one of the greatest historical parks of Rome, started as the residential building garden of Cardinal Scipione Borghese in 1605. Villa Borghese garden, covering an area of nearly 80 hectares, consists of historical structures as well as a lake, temples, fountains, and sculptures. The park is made of three major sections and went through numerous changes since its erection date and transformed into a historical urban park. Villa Borghese was purchased by Rome Municipality and opened to public use in 1903. In this study, historical development of Villa Borghese and changes that it experienced during the process of its arrival to the present day and its current use and function by taking the form of a historical urban park were examined.

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