Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP OF CHAPTER
Tivoli
POP 52,920 / ELEV 225M
A summer retreat for ancient Romans and the Renaissance rich, the hilltop town of Tivoli
is home to two Unesco World Heritage Sites: Villa Adriana, the sprawling country estate
of Emperor Hadrian, and the 16th-century Villa d'Este, a Renaissance villa famous for its
landscaped gardens and lavish fountains.
Information is available from the
tourist information point
(
0774 31 35 36; Piazzale delle
9.30am-5.30pm Tue-Sun)
near Piazza Garibaldi, where the bus arrives.
Nazione Unite;
Sights
Villa Adriana
( 06 3996 7900;
www.villaadriana.beniculturali.it
; adult/reduced €8/4, plus possible exhibition supple-
ment, car park €3; 9am-1hr before sunset; )
Some 5km outside Tivoli proper, Emperor
Hadrian's sumptuous summer residence set new standards of luxury when it was built
between AD 118 and 134 - a remarkable feat given the excesses of the Roman Empire.
More like a small town than a villa, it's vast - a model near the entrance gives an idea of
the scale of the original complex - and you'll need several hours to explore it. Consider
hiring an audioguide (€5), which gives a helpful overview.
Hadrian was a great traveller and enthusiastic architect and he personally designed
much of the complex, taking inspiration from buildings he'd seen around the world. The
pecile
, a large porticoed pool area where the emperor used to stroll after lunch, was a re-
production of a building in Athens. Similarly, the
canopo
is a copy of the sanctuary of Ser-
apis in the Egyptian town of Canopus, with a long canal of water enclosed by a colon-
nade. The
Serapaeum
, which provides a backdrop for the pool, was an outdoor summer
dining room, where Hadrian held banquets.
To the east of the pecile is another highlight, the
Teatro Marittimo
, Hadrian's private re-
treat. Built on an island in an artificial pool, it was originally a mini-villa accessible only
by swing bridges, which the emperor would have raised when he felt like a dip. Nearby,
the fish pond is encircled by an underground gallery where Hadrian liked to wander.
There are also several magnificent
bath complexes
,
temples
,
barracks
, and a
museum
(of-
ten closed) with the latest discoveries from ongoing excavations.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
