Hadrian's Villa

Just Wow! What a large, outstanding and fairly well preserved piece of 2,000 year old history this is. The high level of luxury, engineering, architectural detail and sheer size of this Villa is impressive. I don't want to give too much away here as to the luxury, engineering, architecture and splendor inside so I suggest you go with a guide, or as we did, get an audio guide at the ticket booth. Take the "long route". It's well worth the extra time!

Hadrian's villa is a must-see, but be ready to walk because Hadrian created a private city for his summer getaways. His private swimming pool has an island with columns surrounding the enclave. It is worth the visit just to see it, but there is so much more with layers of history, mosaic floors, and even better, original statues kept on site in a museum from the lovely pool which wasn't uncovered until the 1950s so the best stuff didn't get carted away. I visited years ago and was happy to see on my recent visit that more items have been displayed and is just as fascinating the second time as the first.

We took a bus tour via Viator (a Trip Advisor co), from Rome to Tivoli. The tour included the 2,000 yr old Roman ruins of VA (Emperor Hadrian's Villa), and Villa d'Este, a 500 yr old Renaissance villa previously used by the Pope (next review). The English speaking tour is everything you would expect. The group was small, the guide was local and spoke very good English, the bus had good A/C and the walking was leisurely, although there were some inclines. Nonetheless, if a 91 yr old woman in our group could handle the walk, no one had any complaints. We saw the library, the bathhouses, the pool, the dining hall, the road from Rome, the slaves' quarters and more. Our guide showed us renditions of what the villa would have looked like during Roman times: The villa encompasses a lot of land and the structures were elaborate. The Emperor would have had a large entourage of nobles, guards and slaves. The grounds would have been large enuf to accommodate them all. Lastly, we also saw a 1,000 yr old olive tree that still produces olives. Tivoli specializes in olive oil from these ancient trees, and you can buy some from a vendor close to Villa d'Este. All in all, a wonderful stop on a day trip from Rome that is only 30 mi away. However you get to Tivoli, I recommend VA bc it is a nice site to learn about Roman history.

This UNESCO site was well worth the trip. We were there off season with my elderly mother. It was pretty easy to get around in this huge property. She was so happy to see the ancient buildings and statuary. They needed more facilities. And I realize it may distract from the antiquity but, maybe they could be in the outskirts. We wound up in a dead end area and had to get assistance bringing her back. The staff hurried up with a golf cart. They were very kind. A day is not really long enough to enjoy the entire site. We would really like to compliment them on the gift shop staff. She spoke English as well as Italian and French. Very friendly.

Perhaps I didn't see enough but I was not that impressed. Yes it was a hot day, aren't they all in summer? It was a long walk after seeing Ville d Este. I thought it was too much. I would much prefer to revisit some old sights in Rome than venture this far out. I would recommend staying in Rome and seeing Terme di Caracalla

This historic site in Tivoli is definitely worst a visit. I recommend you also visit together with villa d'estate when you are in Tivoli. It's only an hour by train from Rome and it's inexpensive. Spent at least two hours here because it's a big site. You can purchase a map in a souvenir store near ticketing office. Make sure you organized ground transport from the train station to visit these two sites. There are no taxi stand in the tivoli train station.

This place is definitely not for the faint-hearted. You start by walking around 1Km uphill to reach the site. Once there, there is so much to see. A lot of the structures are kept in very good condition this is quite impressive considering the size of the site. What let's this place down is the amenities. There is a cafe at the entrance and a shop. Sadly the cafe was not opened meaning there was no place to buy a drink on the whole site. The shop was quite well stocked if a little overpriced. The toilets too were quite far from the entrance. There are some taps on site so make sure to bring a bottle of water with you. The museum too sadly was not opened the day I was there. There are a few things that are a must see here - the Canopus, the Greek theatre, the Hospitalia and the watch tower - where you can get great views. This place is really great to visit. The thing that let's it down is the fact there is little facilities here.