A Tale of Two Villas. (Tivoli)

Member Name: vhart

Product:	Tivoli
Date:	23/01/01 (119 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Interesting and pretty places to visit, quite cheap

Disadvantages: easy to get lost when in the town itself!

Tivoli seems to hide in the shadow of Rome, and her history and geography is intimately tied up with that of her close neighbour, but as a town, there is enough for her to merit a mention in her own right.

Since Roman times, Tivoli was a place for the nobility to retreat to, and it is for this reason it is most famous today.

Two villas dominate the tourist's agenda, Villa Adriana and Villa d'Este.

Villa Adriana lies some way outside the town itself. It was Hadrian's Villa, which he built in the 2nd Century AD as a summer retreat. It is basically in ruins now, as many of the ancient roman sites, but they are a very impressive set of ruins, especially the Baths, which give a good impression of the size and majesty of how they might have looked.

Some of the mosaics are still intact and some have been removed to a museum in Rome, but the side and scale of the grounds are particularly impressive.

Nearer the centre of the town, and more easily accessible, is Villa d'Este.

This was built in the 16th Century by Ippolito d'Este, a Cardinal from an important (and rich!) Roman family who had aspirations to be pope.

Inside the villa, the rooms are well preserved with the frescoes as they would have been, but far more impressive (and famous) are the gardens.

There are some of the most beautiful fountains in Italy (which is saying something, because they really can do fountains well!). It is built on a slope and wouldn't be easy for someone who has difficulties walking, but the sights really are spectacular, even in the winter, as the water really is the main feature. Also, as the Villa is built on a hillside, the views of the surrounding countryside itself is amazing.

At time of writing, both villas cost 8,000L to get in, (about £2.70). There is a bus which takes you between the two villas and to the train station too, so the prospect of finding them isn't as
daunting as it might seem.

As for the town itself, it is built on a hill. There are a couple of waterfalls close to the centre, which it is possible to see from particular vantage points (namely bridges!).

There is a small cathedral, and the town has many narrow and twisty roads, some shops of varying kinds, just as you would expect in a reasonable sized town, really.

The restaurants I found were good but a bit more expensive, in general, than some of the ones in Rome, but maybe I was looking in the wrong places! It would be a great place to take a picnic to in the summer (but I was there in the winter!).

Even with all the distractions of Rome, Tivoli is definitely worth sparing a day for. It's about 45 mins out of Rome and there is a bus which you can take from Rome which stops at Villa Adriana as well as the centre of the city. It is useful, necessary, even, to have a map though before trying to confront the narrow streets!!!

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