Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este Half-Day Trip from Rome
Rome, Italy
Rating: 
Trip Type: Day Trips
Duration: 4 hours
Visit Tivoli on a half-day trip from Rome and explore its two UNESCO-listed villas – Hadrian’s Villa and Villa d’Este – with an expert guide. Have your camera ready to capture incredible ruins, gardens and fountains while learning about the extravagant tastes of the emperors and cardinals who once lived there.
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Visit Tivoli on a half-day trip from Rome and explore its two UNESCO-listed villas – Hadrian’s Villa and Villa d’Este – with an expert guide. Have your camera ready to capture incredible ruins, gardens and fountains while learning about the extravagant tastes of the emperors and cardinals who once lived there.
Start your day with a pickup from your central Rome hotel or alternatively, start your tour at a meeting point in town, near Rome Termini Station. Travel east out of the city into the Monti Tiburtini hills, passing the area’s travertine marble quarries, and stop in the hilltop village of Tivoli – the summer home of holidaying Romans.
First stop here is Hadrian’s Villa (Villa Adriana), the former holiday home of Emperor Hadrian – built in the 2nd century AD. More akin to a small village than a home in today’s sense of the word, the ostentatious villa ruins are incredible to visit, with ruins of thermal baths, temples, palaces and theaters just waiting to be explored. Head into the site with your guide, and learn about the emperor’s ancient travels – reportedly the inspiration for many of the monuments -- while walking around.
After your tour of Hadrian’s Villa, return to your coach and travel the short distance to Tivoli’s other showstopping villa – the magnificent Villa d’Este. Built in the heart of the Renaissance – around 1550 – for Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este, Tivoli’s governor, Villa d’Este was a contentious building that upset the local residents as they had to move to make way for it. Walk around the site with your guide, taking in the gardens and posing for photos in front of Bernini-designed fountains while leaning about the Cardinal and his lavish life in the villa.
Return to your coach and relax on the way back to Rome. Your tour then finishes back at the start point – either your hotel or near Rome Termini. Alternatively, you can make use of a drop-off at Via Veneto, Piazza Barberini, Piazza Venezia or Piazza della Repubblica; simply let your guide know on the day.
First stop here is Hadrian’s Villa (Villa Adriana), the former holiday home of Emperor Hadrian – built in the 2nd century AD. More akin to a small village than a home in today’s sense of the word, the ostentatious villa ruins are incredible to visit, with ruins of thermal baths, temples, palaces and theaters just waiting to be explored. Head into the site with your guide, and learn about the emperor’s ancient travels – reportedly the inspiration for many of the monuments -- while walking around.
After your tour of Hadrian’s Villa, return to your coach and travel the short distance to Tivoli’s other showstopping villa – the magnificent Villa d’Este. Built in the heart of the Renaissance – around 1550 – for Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este, Tivoli’s governor, Villa d’Este was a contentious building that upset the local residents as they had to move to make way for it. Walk around the site with your guide, taking in the gardens and posing for photos in front of Bernini-designed fountains while leaning about the Cardinal and his lavish life in the villa.
Return to your coach and relax on the way back to Rome. Your tour then finishes back at the start point – either your hotel or near Rome Termini. Alternatively, you can make use of a drop-off at Via Veneto, Piazza Barberini, Piazza Venezia or Piazza della Repubblica; simply let your guide know on the day.
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