Monday, July 07, 2008

Rome off the tourist track...a trip to Tivoli.

This is a great day trip if you live in/near Rome or are spending more than a few days visiting the Eternal City.

Today’s post is about Villa d’Este. Tomorrow I will be posting about the infamous July Italian Vogue (It’s finally out. I will have to read it today) and will try to post about Hadrian’s Villa later in the week.

To get to Tivoli take the B line to Ponte Mammolo Station. Buy a ticket for the COTRAL bus (I paid 4 euros round trip) bus to Tivoli. It’s approximately a 40-minute ride without traffic. Get off at the main piazza, Piazza Garibaldi. The villa is a few blocks away.

If possible get there early and/or go during the week. I was there as the gate opened at 9:00 a.m. and by 10:30 there were several tour groups in the gardens. I went solo but there is plenty of signage in the Villa about each room.
Here is more info on this Unesco World Heritage site. Entry is 6 and a half euros.

The palace built in 1550 (that is crazy old) for cardinal Ippolito d’Este, son of Lucrezia Borgia is bellissima. There are over 51 fountains in the gardens. While the gardens with their fountains are the main draw, the Villa shouldn’t be missed. In one of the rooms you can see where they found flooring from an even earlier villa. The frescos are gorgeous. Each room has a theme.

A view from the Villa. It was nice and cool up there.


One of the fountains.


Looking down from the Owl Fountain



There are pictures of frescos inside the Villa and more fountain pictures on my
Flickr page.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Breathtaking! I've just been to Winterthur in Delaware and it doesn't quite compare to those pics. Oh, and we're still offering up our first born for July's Italian Vogue here... ;->

Leanne was in Italy now in Australia said...

It really is so lovely there in Tivoli. I must go back again some time!

Anonymous said...

Tivoli is one of my favorite places to take visitors if they are staying for more than a few days. In the summer it's particularly refreshing to stroll the grounds, and you're right, the villa itself is impressive. Thanks for the photos, they're great!

Anonymous said...

We have really enjoyed Tivoli, too. Our son suggested that we visit Tivoli (he was 12 at the time and very interested in the life of Emperor Hadrian). We were glad that we did!

When we go back to Rome in April with our other son, we will use public transportation with your transportation directions. Can you share how you got to Hadrian's Villa from Villa D'Este and then back to Rome??

Looking forward to Tivoli Part II!

erin said...

beautiful. I've never been there, but the photos remind me a small bit of the Boboli Gardens (with the colors, fountains, walkways). I'll have to check out your Flickr page.

glamah16 said...

Oh lovely. Keep the picyutres coming.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic pics! I've been to the other Tivoli in Copenhagen. Cute but not quite the same thing. I'd love to visit the real thing and Hadrian's place.

Anonymous said...

I remember when I was there 10 years ago how absolutely breathtaking it was. We got lost for hours in the gardens and villa. I hope I get to visit there again someday.

Michelle | Bleeding Espresso said...

Gorgeous! May I please jump in one of those fountains now? Goodness it's HOT down here!

Looking forward to tomorrow :)

Eryn said...

man i swear i have some of those same photos...crazy!!!

Jen said...

Breathtaking. Between you and Michelle, I'm just dying for an Italian vacation right about now!

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

yvonne - I read it hits the States this week. Def. worth the price. Excellent issue.

leanne - It was a perfect place to spend a hot summer day.

diane - thank you.

la casalinga - there is an orange bus that you catch from Piazza Garibaldi down to the Hadrian's Villa. From there you walk to a bus stop outside the gates to catch a bus back to Ponte Mammolo station. That part was a little confusing, I'll explain later.

erin - Next I go to Florence I must visit the Boboli Gardens.

glamah16 - I'll try. :)

milanese - grazie.

lulu - I loved how everywhere you turned there was a fountain. Very creative.

bleeding - I'm so over this heat. I just posted about Vogue.

eryn - I had to take several of the Owl Fountain. It's incredible.

jen - Perhaps a trip during the fall is calling your name. At least it won't be so hot .