OUR RECOMMENDATIONS
GETTING THERE

For those with a car in Rome, you can easily drive to Tivoli and park on-site for a few euros. You can also take a train from Rome to Tivoli and then take buses to reach the most popular sights.

By car:
From Rome Termini, depending on the time of day and day of the week, it takes about 45 minutes. Once you’ve left the hustle and bustle of Rome’s streets and traffic behind, you’ll take the toll road A24 to Tivoli. There are parking facilities throughout the city, allowing you to conveniently drive from one attraction to the next.

By train:
From Roma Tiburtina (not as centrally located as Termini), take the REG 4546 Avezzano train, which makes 6 stops and takes about 53 minutes to reach Tivoli. From there, you can take the aforementioned buses to the sights. There’s also Metro Line B, which involves 2/3 transfers and another Reg… Folks, I’m telling you – it looks complicated. Good thing Susi had a car!

By tour bus:
I recommend booking a tour that includes transportation from Rome. This way, you can enjoy the excursion stress-free. You don’t have to worry about getting there or rushing to catch all the train/bus connections. Additionally, tour guides are a great help in navigating the vast villas and summarizing the most important details.

In short, a visit to Tivoli is well worth it for a day trip!

Or you can rent an e-bike and bike to Tivoli: Duration: just over 2 hours one way 😉”

What is there
to see?

You enter Villa d’Este through a side entrance located next to a small church (bearing the same name as the Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome).

The tour begins in the Chiostro, a cloister in the courtyard, with the Venus Fountain. Even here, you have to be careful not to lose track of time, as you could probably spend hours admiring the many details in the fountain and the lovely atmosphere created by the orange trees. But that’s just the beginning! What follows is even more beautiful…

You continue through various halls adorned with enormous frescoes, passing by a small chapel and exhibitions of ancient artifacts such as mosaics and vases. In each room, you’ll be amazed, and it’s hard to imagine how much money, patience, and creativity were required to construct all of this. The impressive halls are spread over two floors, and you should actually take your time to visit them because it’s the small details in the wall paintings that tell stories from the Bible or about hunting.

This might sound easier than it actually is because through the windows, you can see the garden of the Villa, which has an incredible allure. You’ll find yourself there sooner than you might have thought.

Every fountain in the garden, whether small or large, tells its own story. All Rome enthusiasts will be thrilled by the “Fontana di Rometta,” a fountain that is intended to evoke memories of ancient Rome with figures like Romulus and Remus, an obelisk, or the seven hills.

Just a few steps away is a fountain avenue called the “Hundred Fountains” which will bring joy to children with its many playful masks.

The slightly elevated Organ Fountain is probably the most famous fountain in the Villa. It owes its name to the water organ, which was later copied by many other fountains around the world. Below it are the Sybil Grottoes and the Neptune Fountain, which was only built in the 20th century and replaces an old waterfall. From here, you have a beautiful view of the three fish ponds, at the ends of which visitors sit to enjoy the view of the Organ Fountain.

In addition to the huge fountains and large ponds, there are also smaller fountains scattered throughout the garden, such as the Diana Ephesus Fountain. Almost like an amusement park, there’s something to discover around every corner. Even along the stairs leading to the Villa, there are fountains like the Fontana della Civetta (Owl Fountain) with its mosaic decorations. In this garden, you truly wander from one water feature to the next and can hardly get enough of it. You wouldn’t expect such a large garden when entering through the small entrance to the Villa 🙂

The Villa d’Este is a wonderful example of how Rome and its surroundings have been shaped not only by antiquity but also by the artists of the Renaissance, contributing to what we know (and love) today.

What is there
to see?

Emperor Hadrian (Roman Emperor from 117 until his death in 138) is also known as the “Traveling Emperor” due to his extensive travels. He visited Britain and had the Hadrian’s Wall built there. Hadrian also traveled to Egypt and used his villa as a way to evoke memories of his journeys, rather than relying on photographs.

For example, the Canopus in Villa Adriana is inspired by the Nile canal near Alexandria in Egypt. The water basin is surrounded by columns and Greek god statues (such as Ares), which have very athletic bodies. At the water basin, the petrified crocodile is quite impressive, and along the Canopus, you can find various Roman and Greek statues. Due to the heat, the water unfortunately appeared yellow instead of blue, but you could still see the reflections of the figures in the water.

When you arrive at the Canopus, you’ve already covered quite a distance. Villa Adriana is surprisingly enormous, and its ruins make it relatively easy to take a journey back in time. Similar to Ostia Antica, you might not believe how impressive old brick walls can be until you’ve visited.

The size of Villa Adriana seems infinite from the moment you enter until the moment you leave. From the current entrance of the villa to the ancient area, you have to walk quite a distance, and you may briefly feel like you’ve taken the wrong path. Along the way (as well as later throughout the entire site), you’ll see olive trees that contribute to a pleasant atmosphere and provide shade, even though they have nothing to do with the ancient history. Before reaching the first buildings of Villa Adriana, you may already feel exhausted from walking, and you haven’t seen anything yet.

It took 16 years to complete the complex. There are small and large baths, libraries, residences, and temples. There was even a fire brigade! It’s actually a small district where around 20,000 people lived during Hadrian’s time. The beautiful thing is that you can still enter the buildings and temples today. And even though a lot of building material is missing, it’s possible to imagine the size these buildings must have had. Some walls still have the typical stucco decorations. Some floors still have the black-and-white mosaic pattern, while others reveal traces of colorful marble. And in some places on the walls, you can even see remnants of colorful paintings.

Unfortunately, the fate of Villa Adriana was very similar to that of the Colosseum or the Roman Forum. It was forgotten during the Middle Ages and used as a quarry for building materials.

Exploring the entire area during the first visit is probably impossible. In my opinion, besides the already mentioned Canopus, one should not miss the large pool near the Pecile, the colonnaded walkway. The pool resembles a modern swimming pool, missing only the diving board. In antiquity, the colonnaded walkway provided shade from the sun and shelter from the rain, and it was used for leisurely walks after the sumptuous midday meal. Such walks were recommended by physicians and even prescribed for those with digestive issues.

Also fascinating is the Heliocaminus, a thermal bath that illustrates the luxurious living standards of the time. It was equipped with glass windows that warmed the space. Cavities in the walls and floor allowed warm air to circulate, and the steam generated in the room could escape through the dome. Yes, the Romans were far ahead of us with their knowledge and lifestyle! They thought of everything and carefully planned everything they built.

Right next to the Heliocaminus is the Marittmo circular theater, which is not really a theater in the classical sense. It’s more like a space where the emperor retreated for meditation. Next to it is the Hall of the Philosophers, which likely had nothing to do with philosophers. The names of these buildings can indeed be somewhat misleading because the actual purpose of many of them remains a mystery to this day.