| Page Views: 1,588 Last Visit to Tivoli: October, 2009 I Visit Here Frequently | TIVOLI - Villa D'Este/Adriana-Hadrian's/Gregoriana by icunme - last update: Oct 13, 2009 |
Villa d'Este - Oppulent gardens - cascading waters | The organ fountain - music and |
MUCH WORK TO DO HERE - PLEASE RETURN!
VT'ers TravelGourmet clued me to this getaway - so all here is dedicated to Larry and his wife........ Don't miss their pages - a real treat.
Ville d'Este - No superlative adequately describes the beauty of this ville - more like a palace to me. I intended to see the ville and go on to Gregoriana - didn't happen - I was so mesmerized by the gardens, I spent the entire day right here at Ville d'Este, with time to leisurely explore the immense garden and its little treasures - and, with few October tourists.
The most stunning fountains and cascading waters everywhere that defy description. The sound of cascading water falls, accompanied by the organ music
A comfortable day trip from Rome in less than an hour (transportation tip) - I would say the day trip of choice if you prefer beauty to the ruins of Ostia.
Cardinal Ippolito d'Este was born in Ferrara in 1509: appointed Cardinal in 1939 and in 1550 he was appointed governor of Tivoli by Pope Julius III, the pope of Villa Giulia, so it is not strange that he thought it proper for the governor of Tivoli to live in a residence comparable to that of the pope. He lived in his villa until his death in 1572. |
Hadrian enjoyed just hanging out with friends here Villa Adriana is not a royal palace, but rather a university campus. Its terraces have different orientations; some have a view towards Rome, others towards Tivoli or the Castelli Romani. There is not an evident hierarchy among the buildings: the smaller ones are not aligned in order to emphasize the larger ones.
It is evident by the many porticoes which flanked the terraces that Hadrian enjoyed wandering along them with his friends, as Aristotle and the other peripatetic philosophers used to do in Athens.
At first sight one does not realize that the terraces are to a great extent artificial and are supported by imposing substructures which were used to house the many servants who worked in the villa.
Praetorium, an arm of the great Cryptoporticus (underground passage), a public urinal outside the firemen's barracks
To run such a large complex of buildings required not only a crowd of servants and guards, but also well designed facilities to ensure that these people performed their duties without interfering with the life of the emperor and of his guests.
For this reason a net of underground passages allowed the servants to move around the villa without even being seen by the emperor. The servants and the guards were housed in the substructures supporting the terraces or in buildings which were hidden by one of the many nymphaeums (large fountains) placed in the courtyards or the terraces.
Villa Adriana could rely on an ample supply of water as it was located near the aqueducts which supplied Rome. |
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| Pros: | "Enchanting" | | Cons: | "You'll want to go back again and again......" |
icunme's Tivoli Travel Tips
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 icunme's Tivoli Travelogues | | | |
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 Comments for icunme about Tivoli | | | | |
vinc_bilb Tue Oct 13, 2009 16:16 UTC
Oh, so nice. I understand now a music from Debussy named "Les jeux d'eau de la villa d'Este" ... | Pawtuxet Sun Oct 11, 2009 13:11 UTC
Now here is a guy who knows how to build a house and garden!! Amazing fountains....must be incredible to hear the organ simultaneous to the soaring waters. | kokoryko Mon May 5, 2008 22:56 UTC
I should apply for a job at Villa Borghese. . . . . If I come back to Rome one day, the off beaten paths will be hit by my feet, sure! Beautiful, Carol! No space on Rome, so comment here!! ((-: Eeuuuh, Praetorium and Travel-gourmet? | Dabs Fri Nov 16, 2007 21:45 UTC
Tivoli was an excellent day trip from Rome, going to go look at the travelogues now! |
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- Le Rose
Via Tiburtina 288, Tivoli
- Terme
Piazza Bartolomeo della Queva, 6, Tivoli
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