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Two of the magnificent villas surrounding Rome are shown here: the Villa
Adriana, or the Villa of the Emperor Hadrian, and the Villa d'Este, a family
villa.
The Villa Adriana, located southwest of Tivoli (the ancient site of Tiber,
on the slopes of the Sabine hills), is a magnificent complex of buildings and
gardens covering over 180 acres. It dates from the later years of the widely
traveled emperor Hadrian (beginning in 117 AD; he died in 138), and was his
attempt to reproduce some of the great buildings of Greece and Egypt which he
probably saw in person. It includes the imperial residence, various other
houses, two major libraries, a museum, a theatre, and a series of baths, fountains,
pools, and gardens.
Also near Tivoli is the famous Villa d'Este. This
classic Renaissance creation was designed by Pirro Ligorio for Cardinal
Ippolito d'Este (1549), and was later owned by Archduke Francis Ferdinand of
Austria-Este, whose assassination at Sarajevo
in 1914 triggered the start of World War I. From the villa and the beautiful
gardens, laid out in terraces with magnificent fountains and cascades and what
are said to be the tallest cypress trees in Italy, there are stunning views of
the Roman countryside.
© 1998 Don Sillings & Jerry
Byrd -- California State University,
Long Beach
Last Updated: 26-Apr-98