"A Tivoli Taster" a Tivoli Travel Page by sandysmith

Historic hilltop Tivoli, 28 km E. of Rome is a popular day excursion - only 1 hour away by bus.
Most visitors come to see the garden of fountains that is Villa d'Este but the town itself should not be neglected as we discovered. Narrow medieval streets with turretted houses and belltops add to the charm of this place which reminded me of tuscan hilltop towns.

The Renaissance Villa d'Este was built in the 1550s for Cardinal Hippolyte d'Este, the son of Lucretia Borgia. Its gardens and fountains are still a pleasure to explore even though the fountains no longer operate as they once did with their musical interactions. The water pressure for the fountains comes from the downhill flow of the River Tiber.

Emperor Hadrian had this enourmous imperial palace - with its many baths and theatres, constructed at Tibur, down the hill from Tivoli, and used it as his residence of choice when he was in Rome. It consisted of more than 30 buildings, covering over 120 hectares. The villa is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. the ruins are fascinating and a day alone could be spent here exploring this vast site. The lakes there with their surrounding statuary were perfect for capturing my favoured reflection pictures too!