Villa d’Este, with its stunning views and expansive gardens, has become a well-known site in the small town of Tivoli.
Villa d’Este
Located just 19 miles outside of Rome, this 16th century estate was commissioned by the Cardinal Ippolito d’Este, who was very interested in the works of the Renaissance. What resulted was a great series of gardens and impressive fountains to accompany the already perfectly located estate.
Read on to discover more about this popular day trip destination.
History of Villa d’Este
has been a well-known location for a summer residence since ancient Rome, when emperor
built his private villa in the countryside. The
’s cooler location and views over the valley below (including
) were among the reasons that
took over the location around 1550. The
, built in the 9th century, then became the place for the large estate we see today.
Because of the
other duties in and outside of Rome, constructing
took many years, from 1560 to 1586 with the death of Ippolito’s nephew, Cardinal Luigi. Once the initial gardens were completed, the extensive gardens started to decline because of their
and the lack of income they produced.
In the mid-19th century
brought the overgrown gardens back to their former beauty, this time designing the villa in the romantic style. He also invited
,
and
to create their respective works of art about the recently redone gardens.
After World War I,
was bought by the
, who then added their own restoration projects in the 1920s.
Connections to Villa Adriana
These two villas,
and
, despite being built centuries apart have a few similarities in their design and building materials.
, a classical scholar and
, studied the
extensively to prepare his designs for
. Lingorio wanted his villa to exceed the ancient Roman design, along with anything else that the ancient Romans had built.
Another connection these villas share is the
used in their designs. Once Lingorio had completed his design, much of the marble and statues used in
were sourced from the ruins of
.
, as well as other important churches and buildings in
, used the marble from
for their own works.
The many fountains of Villa d’Este
The over
are undoubtedly the most prominent features in the villa, and they give the gardens their character. Below are just a few of the
in
, but they are all worth exploring.
The
, is one of the most recognizable fountains in
, was completed and installed in 1571. The French fountain engineer
created this fountain to
from the
in the fountain, the
. Although the music was discontinued in the 18th century, in 2003 the fountain was
with modern materials, and now music can be heard
.
The
is located directly under the
, and is one of the more
in the gardens. But this is not the original design. The first
was designed by
in the 17th century, but after years of neglect, the fountain had to be
. The fountain we see today was redone in the 1930s by
, who kept the original cascading design, but adding the fountain’s powerful jets.
Another iconic fountain is
, which feature a wall of one hundred small fountains lining the walkway between the
and the
. Why one hundred small fountains? These were meant to
that the
built to bring water to Rome. These
fountains of the
certainly showcase the
that flows through these gardens.
The
and its attached
, is one of the first fountains that visitors come across in the gardens. This large fountain includes not only the broad basin and the round fountain, but also the artificial mountains and the
at the top. The entire fountain and grotto took five years to complete, from 1565 to 1570, and has been a
for visitors to
ever since.
The
is another well-known fountain in the gardens, located at the
. The original design for this fountain was to show the story of
stealing the golden apples from the
, with a dragon at its gate. But this design would never get past the designing stage. For the visit of
in 1572,
modified the design to have
at the base, a symbol for the pope’s family. Later, a
was placed where
would have stood.
The Villa and apartments today
The villa itself, which includes the
, also has a variety of
, including the
,
,
, and the
. Each room describes the stories of a specific ancient figure, through
on the walls and ceilings.
The inclusion of
in these rooms is particularly interesting because of its connection to the Villa and the d’Este family. Hercules, from ancient times, was said to be the
that includes the villa. The other reason to include Hercules into
because
claimed to be descended from the mythical hero.
A curious site found on the first floor of the apartments is an
located under the floor of the
. As late as 1983, while the flooring was being redone in these rooms, a room belonging to a
was discovered underneath, with its detailed
. Built above the Roman villa were parts of the
that
now stands on today.
OPENING HOURS:
Tuesday - Sunday 8:30 am - 6:45 pm
Monday 2:00 pm - 6:45 pm
Keep in mind that the ticket office closes one hour before closing every day.
How do I get to Villa d’Este?
For those without a guide, the two most popular ways to get to Villa d’Este is either by bus or by train.
Travelling to
by
is another option, and the trip takes
to arrive at the Tivoli train station. Trains depart for Tivoli about every hour from
, either by the
, or trains heading to
. From there,
is about a
from the station, and the way there is clearly marked with signs.
Taking the
to
also takes
, and makes several stops to the other major sites in the town. These buses
from the
stop (blue metro line stop). Once in the town center, there is a
that can take you to the different sites in
, including
.
Although you can get to
by using public transport, the
way to get to Tivoli is by booking a
.
offers
, during the day or at
, that provide transport to these beautiful sites.
What else is there to see in Tivoli?
Other than
,
is the other best-known site to see in
. Built in the 2nd century AD, this archaeological site was once home to emperor
elaborate private villa, because he was unhappy with the palace on Rome’s
.
is a site that was developed later than
and
, but it is still a beautiful place to spend an afternoon. This villa, commissioned by
around 1834, is famous for its
and abundance of
.
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