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TIVOLI GARDENS TOUR AND HADRIAN' S VILLA WITH MINIBUS AND TOUR GUIDE |
Fifteen miles on the east of Rome, there is a lovely small town that is old like Rome; it was built 3.000 years ago: Tivoli.
In the second century AD the emperor Hadrian decided to transform Tivoli in his supreme imperial residence. Hadrian villa epitomizes the antiquarian eclecticism of the era. It possessed vast collections of statues and other works such as mosaics even if many of them were copies of the canonical masterpieces of Classical art.
It boasted complex architectural juxtapositions of pastiche versions of the empire's more exotic territories and it displayed all this in the lavish grandeur of an imperial theme park. the villa was not only the literal hub of the roman empire, but it became also Hadrian's favoured residence when he was in Rome. Using the same words of his biographer we can say that his villa at Tivoli was marvellously constructed, and he actually gave to parts of it names of provinces and places of the greatest renown, calling them, for instance, the Lycaeum, the Academy, the Prytany, The Canopus, the Poecile, and Tempe.
The villa was perceived as redeploying the treasures of the roman empire in miniature: it reconstitued the empire under the special condition of a museum's display: Hadrian was not merely amassing single sculptures, he was collecting replicas of entire monuments.
Near Hadrian's villa, at Tivoli, is Villa D'este with its famous gardens, better known as Tivoli gardens. This magnificent residence was built for the cardinal Ippolito d' Este in the year 1550. The architect Pirro Ligorio, sought inspiration from Hadrian's derelict villa. The hydraulic engineer was Orazio Olivieri, who succesfully diverted and channeled a branch of the local river Aniene so that an unlimited supply of water could descend the slope of the gardens. For centuries the fountains of Villa d' Este have been one of the sights of Italy and Montaigne was there about 1581 and was struck by the volume of the water.
The fontanieri ( fountain engineers ) treated the water as a sculptor might clay, molding it into a variety of forms.
The fountains are powered by diverting water with over 300 gallons a second. Its most famous feature is the Terrace of One hundred Fountains, where terraces hold three rows of spouts punctuated with carvings of eagles and obelisks.
If you really stay in Rome more than 3 days I recommend this tour of the environs of Rome with Rome tour guide
TIVOLI TOUR WITH MINIBUS AND TOUR GUIDE ( 4 hours )
THE TOUR DOES NOT OPERATE ON MONDAYS
ITINERARY
THE PRICE INCLUDES
THE PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE
SPECIFICATIONS
