World Heritage. Part 20

Villa Adriana (Italy) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.

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Not all architectural masterpieces can be preserved in their original form or at least returned from oblivion - the destroyed villa of Emperor Hadrian in Tivoli is a vivid example of this. This place is a real Mecca for history lovers of the Roman era, on the level of the Colosseum or the Roman Forum, although not as famous. Built between 118 and 134, it has reached us only in the form of ruins scattered over a vast area. Adrian wanted to build his country residence away from the bustle of the capital - but he did it on a truly imperial scale.

The construction was so large-scale that it significantly improved the economic and even demographic indicators of the then Tivoli.

Initially, the area of the villa was 3 square meters. km, and the area currently available to tourists occupies only 1/5 of this territory. Once there was a huge complex consisting of 30 buildings, several gardens and its own hippodrome - this was complemented by magnificent works of architectural art. From here, during excavations, many famous ancient statues were found and removed. The Capitoline Antinous and the Centaurs of Furieti, now kept in the Capitoline Museums, the statue of the Discobolus - a copy of it stands in the National Roman Museum, Diana of Versailles, which can now be seen in the Louvre.

Ippolito d’Este also made a lot of money here in the 16th century - he took out many marble columns to decorate his own villa. After the death of the emperor, many robbers visited here - Hadrian's family did not maintain the inheritance in good condition for long. Nowadays, the territory is a historical park - and although there is no place for labyrinths of vegetation, history still lives on. This is acutely felt during the inspection, because many of the buildings are perfectly preserved for their age.

In 1999, UNESCO added Hadrian's Villa to the List of World Heritage Sites as a superbly preserved example of the imperial villa and Alexandrian garden.

It will take a lot of time to explore the beautiful island villa, walk along the Kanopa pond and go to the thematic museum - and this is only an obligatory part of the program of every self-respecting tourist. But you can also take a tour of the ruins of ancient libraries and temples, explore large and small baths, or go up to the large panoramic terrace, which offers a magnificent view. In general, it is better to budget more than one hour for your visit.

Practical information

Address: Tivoli, st. Largo Marguerite Yourcenar, 1.

The complex is open from 9:00 until sunset - this time varies depending on the date, you can check it on the official website. Ticket price - 8 EUR; for an EU citizen - 4 EUR, on the first Sunday of every month admission is free.

Tivoli is a popular tourist destination and is frequently served by public transport from Rome. You can get to the city by train from Termini Station, and to the villa by bus from the central square.

Villa Adriana in Tivoli is one of the most remarkable ancient buildings in the territory (Lazio). The structure dates back to the 2nd century AD. Despite its dilapidated state, it attracts with the scope of its architectural design and the perfection of its implementation.

The Roman Emperor Hadrianus (Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus), the famous philosopher of antiquity, hated the luxury and bustle of the palace on the Palatine Hill. A corner was needed for solitary reflection and study in the lap of nature.

This is how the idea of building a country residence arose. The place for it was chosen near the town of Tibur, now Tivoli, and attracted with its beautiful landscape and peaceful silence, dear to the heart of the philosopher-emperor. The land was inherited by Adrian's wife, Vibia Sabina. Previously, there was a manor house of the 2nd-1st centuries BC. It was decided to preserve the atrium of the old villa, the emperor rebuilt and expanded other rooms in accordance with his preferences.

Construction began in 118 and continued until Hadrian's death in 134. Legend has it that The ruler developed the design of his villa independently. Now it is difficult to establish whether this really happened, but his active participation in this matter is obvious.

The residence includes more than 30 objects, all of which bear the names of the provinces of the Roman Empire visited by Hadrian.

Above all, the emperor valued his peace, thanks to which the villa has an extensive system of underground passages for servants and carts with supplies. Adrian did not want the voices of servants and the creaking of cart wheels to disturb his family and guests.

Villa facilities

The original area of the villa was 300 hectares, of which the buildings occupied 1 square. km. To date only a fifth of the complex has survived. We do not know for certain which provinces the fastidious emperor named the buildings of his villa after. Only Canopus has been accurately identified., the rest is the assumptions of researchers, not confirmed by rigorous evidence.

The main building material of the villa was local Tiburtine limestone.. For arches and other architectural elements, plinth was used - thin-slab brick 2.5 cm thick. Two paths lead directly to the villa: a cypress alley and an asphalt road near the old garden with olive trees.

Pechile

Pecile - a rectangular area measuring 232 by 97 m, located behind a powerful nine-meter wall near the entrance. It was once surrounded by a wall with elegant two-sided porticoes, which are now almost completely destroyed. There is a small pond in the center of the square. It is possible that the structure was an imitation of an ancient Greek stadium. Adjacent to Pechile is the Cento Camerelle – “one hundred rooms” for the slaves who served the imperial family and guests.

underground road

In the lower part of Cento Camerelle, an underground road was found leading to the Large (Grandi Terme) and Small Baths (Piccole Terme), separated from each other by a small courtyard.

Researchers suggest that the Baths were intended for separate bathing for men and women.

In the bathhouses there are remains of two types of heating systems - dry (heated air) and wet (hot steam). The area next to the Great Baths - the palaestra - was intended for exercises in wrestling and fencing.. There was also an indoor hall for playing ball.

Pretoria

Behind the Great Baths is the Pretoria, a multi-storey building for the imperial guard. This is the best preserved part of the villa.

Canopy

The prototype of Canopy is the Egyptian settlement of Kanob (now Abukir), where Antinous, the emperor’s favorite, drowned. This is the most interesting of the estate’s objects; it is a pond measuring about 100 by 20 m., decorated along the perimeter with sculptures and columns (not preserved). The Serapeum was built near Kanopa - an imitation of the Egyptian temple of Serapis. From the vault of the Serapeum you can enjoy an excellent view of the Baths and Canopy with a row of spreading pine trees.

Canopic Museum

The Canopic Museum is located in the ancient tavern buildings (tabernae) surrounding its valley on the right. Contains a small collection of ancient Greek statues and Roman casts, the crown jewel of which is a copy of the Venus of Cnidus statue.

The Golden Square, located in the north-eastern part of the villa, is a spacious atrium with a double portico, the open part of which consisted of sixty granite and marble columns. On one side there is an imperial hall with a well-preserved dome on eight marble columns and a vestibule with exquisite floor mosaics.

The Maritime Theater (Teatro Marittimo) is distinguished by its intricate architecture - a round room on a round island framed by a water canal and a cylindrical wall with a round colonnade. The bridges leading to the island were controlled only from the inside. It is believed that the building on the island was used as a retreat for the imperial family, which is why it is often called the Island Villa.

Further fate

Adrian chose to settle in a country estate, and from here he ruled the empire until the end of his days. His descendants were not interested in philosophy, so used it only as a summer residence. At the end of the 3rd century. The villa was restored by Emperor Diocletian (Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus), later Constantine the Great (Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus) took from here some works of art for his palace in Constantinople. In the VI century. The Ostrogoths and Byzantines set up camps here, the villa was destroyed and fell into disrepair. In the Middle Ages the inhabitants of Tivoli used it as a source of building materials for their homes.

The first archaeological excavations were carried out only in the 16th century, at the same time, by order of Cardinal Ippolito II (Ippolito II d’Este), many statues and marble columns were removed from the estate for decoration in Tivoli. In the 18th century part of Hadrian's Villa belonged to Count Giuseppe Fede, who planted cypress trees that are still growing there. Since 1870, the villa has been the property of Italy, and since 1999 it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The porticoes of the villa were deliberately lowered so that the emperor, a short man, could feel tall and majestic.
Many valuable ancient statues were found here - Antinous (Capitolian Museum), Diana the Huntress (Diana, Louvre), Diskobolos (British Museum).
The film “News from the Excavations” (2010) was filmed on the territory of the villa.

How to get there

Villa Adriana is 4 km from Tivoli. You can get there by bus number 4, going from the central square of the city. The bus schedule is posted on the website www.cattivoli.com.

Easier and more informative - they will pick you up from your hotel and show you all the villas in Tivoli, tell you interesting facts and take you back.
Step-by-step instruction, .
If you want to get there on your own, the fastest and most comfortable way– order a transfer from Sergio Rome-Tivoli for 60 euros, travel time is about 45-60 minutes.

Opening hours and tickets

The villa opens at 9:00 and closes an hour and a half before dark. The ticket price is 8 euros, for citizens of the European Union - 4 euros, during the annual exhibition (from April to October) - 11 euros (preferential 7 euros). From March to October, excursions for schoolchildren are offered for 1 euro per person. Admission is free on the first Sunday of every month. Closed days: January 1, May 1 and December 25.

Official website of Villa Adriana: www.villa-adriana.net

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Villa Adriana (at Tivoli near Rome) is an outstanding complex of classical buildings created in the 2nd century. under this ancient Roman emperor. The villa combines the best elements of the architectural heritage of Egypt, Greece and Rome, giving them the form of an ideal city;.

Adriana's Villa was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1999.

This is how she looked in ancient times.

The villa consisted of about thirty buildings scattered over an area of one square kilometer. It is known that the emperor gave them names in honor of those cities of the empire that he visited. Systematic excavations at the villa were never really carried out, but it is from here that some of the most famous ancient statues originate: the Discobolus, Diana of Versailles, Capitoline Antinous, Capitoline Centaurs, etc. Many marble columns were removed from the villa by order of Ippolito d'Este for construction his own villa in Tivoli. The villa was built between 118 and 134. on the edge of a calcareous terrace stretching from the Tiburtine Mountains to the Roman plain. Today, only a fifth of the 300 hectares of the original area of the villa has been preserved. The construction and subsequent maintenance were so extensive that nearby Tibur experienced a great demographic and economic boom. Hadrian's family and his successors continued to use the villa as a summer residence, but subsequently virtually forgot about it. At the end of the 3rd century, Diocletian restored the villa, and later, according to some sources, Constantine I the Great took from there many works of art to decorate Constantinople. A period of neglect followed. In the 6th century, the armies of the Goths and Byzantines set up camps here. Destruction and plunder continued until the first archaeological excavations in the 16th century, when about 300 masterpieces were found, now in museums around the world.
Pechile is a huge rectangular area measuring 232x97 m with a lake in the center, limited by a 9-meter fortification, ending with two-sided porticoes. Currently, only the remains of the walls remain. The porticoes themselves are destroyed. There is an assumption that there could have been a hippodrome on the site of the lake.

Cento camerelle (“one hundred little rooms”) are small quarters for slaves adjacent to the Pechila.

Large thermal baths for men. A vast rectangular area in the background was occupied by a palaestra for outdoor exercises, and nearby there was a spheristerium - an enclosed room for playing ball. In the center of the adjacent rectangular room was a dressing room with access to the calidarium. Closer to the small thermal baths were the tepidarium and laconicum (hot air sauna) in the form of a round hall with an apse. Behind was the frigidarium. In various parts of the thermal baths traces of a double-type heating network are visible: wet based on hot water and steam produced by large boilers, and dry based on hot air from wood-burning stoves. Both steam and heated air circulated in special rooms with a double bottom and through thin channels inside the walls.

Canopy is a reservoir measuring 119x18 m in a valley between hills, reinforced by supporting structures. This structure is reminiscent of an Egyptian settlement near modern Abukir, famous in ancient times for its luxury. Hadrian's favorite Antinous drowned there. Along the long side of the reservoir are casts of four caryatids (copies of statues from Erechtheion) and two sileni.

Along the long side of the reservoir are casts of four caryatids (copies of statues from Erechtheion) and two sileni.

The Golden Square is a large atrium in the north-eastern part of the villa, almost square in shape measuring 51x61 m with a double portico consisting in the open part of 60 granite and veined marble columns.

On the back side of the portico they were complemented by brick half-columns covered with stucco. On the southwest side there was an octagonal imperial hall with alternating concave-convex walls. On the northwest side there is an octagonal vestibule with semicircular and rectangular niches in the walls. The sailing dome on eight columns with a central window is quite well preserved. In a small side room of the vestibule, floor mosaics have been preserved.

Four-sided portico with a fish pond on the hillside. Niches for fishermen were carved into the back wall of the pond. On the front wall there were large panoramic terraces overlooking the vast plain.

Mosaic on the floor of the Imperial Palace.

Greek library.

The island villa was a ring canal surrounding a circular island containing a small villa, which consisted of rooms around a courtyard with a colonnade and a relief fountain. Around the canal there is a ring-shaped arched gallery, bounded by a cylindrical wall, along which there are 40 Ionic columns. Initially, two wooden drawbridges, controlled only from the inside, led to the island. They have now been replaced by brick bridges. Previously, the Island Villa was called the Sea Theater.

Hall of Philosophers.

Wall of Hadrian's Villa.

The round temple was partially recreated in 1958 from rubble. In the center is a cast of the Roman copy of the Venus of Cnidus, kept in the Canopic Museum.

Greek amphitheater.

The city of Tivoli is a city in the province of Lazio, on the Teverone (Anio) river, 24 km northeast of Rome. About 66 thousand inhabitants.

Main attractions: the Drener Roman Villa of Hadrian, the medieval castle of Rocca Pia,

the famous Villa d'Este (XVI century) and Gregorian Villa (XIX century).

In ancient times, Tivoli was called Tibur and was connected to Rome by the Via Tiburtina road. According to legend, Tibur was founded in the 13th century BC. e. one generation before the Trojan War, two sons or grandsons of Amphiaraus, Catillus and Coras, and in honor of their brother Tiburt received its name. According to another legend, it was founded by the Siculi or Sicanians, then came under the rule of the Pelasgians and finally submitted to the Latins. Under the dominance of the latter, Tibur achieved a significant degree of power as one of the major cities of the Latin Union and later, thanks to its picturesque position, became one of the favorite and fashionable places in Italy. Tibur was famous, among other things, for its pottery, fruits, olive oil, figs, quarries (in which the travertine with which the Colosseum was lined was mined); there was a cult of Hercules here.

And the wonderful villa of Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este, created in 1550, will enchant you with its man-made and natural beauties, numerous fountains, creating an atmosphere of the distant past.

Villa Adriana

Villa Adriana occupies such a vast area and boasts such excellent preservation that it is rightfully considered the most famous villa in the vicinity of Rome. In addition, thanks to the surviving buildings, the villa can be called one of the most amazing and important monuments of ancient Roman architecture.

Its construction probably began in 126 AD, after the return of Emperor Hadrian (reigned 117-138 AD) from a long trip to the eastern provinces. It was this journey that inspired the emperor to reproduce in his villa those places and buildings that most impressed him: the Athenian Lyceum, the academy and the painted portico of Stoa Poikile, the Canobi branch in the Nile Delta, the Tempean Valley in Thessaly.

Although Hadrian's Villa was built on the traditional layout of Roman country mansions, its structure also reflects its owner's passion for architecture: it shows how the emperor gave free rein to his creative inclinations and developed more than one innovative architectural solution. After Adrian's death, the villa came into the possession of his heirs, who restored and decorated it.

The decline of the villa began under Emperor Constantine (reigned 306-337 AD), who took some of the art objects stored here to Constantinople. During barbarian raids, the estate was completely devastated, and in the Middle Ages, residents of the city of Tivoli used it as a source of building materials. Since the Renaissance, many famous artists began to study the ruins of the villa; some of them even did not fail to leave an autograph here. Since the 19th century Excavations and restoration began according to scientific criteria. A model reconstruction of the villa is presented at the beginning of the sightseeing route. Its first stage is the spacious portico of Pechile (modeled on the Athenian Stoa Poikile), in the center of which there is a garden and a swimming pool; Here you could walk for a long time in the sun or in the shade.

From the north-eastern corner of Pechile you can go to the Hall of Philosophers - a spacious room with niches, where there was probably a library.

Next comes the “Island Villa” or “Marine Theater” - a round building surrounded by a colonnade. In the middle there is an island surrounded by a canal, where four bridges led, and on it there is a small villa with various rooms and thermal equipment. It is assumed that the emperor liked to retire here, devoting himself to his favorite activities: music, poetry and painting.

To the south of the “Marine Theater” there is a thermal complex with solar heating: several rooms with pools for cold and warm water are connected to a large circular hall, which is also occupied by a pool; there was a heating system underground, and there were five wide windows in the walls so that sunlight could freely penetrate inside and warm the rooms of the thermal baths. People probably took steam or took sand baths in the central pool.

On the eastern side of Pechile there is a courtyard - scientists believe that there was a nymphaeum here - and several buildings, including a banquet hall. A little further are the Small and Large Baths. All the standard premises for such ancient complexes have been well preserved: an open-air sports ground, locker rooms, swimming pools for hot and cold water.

Kanob / Shutterstock.com

Behind these complexes you will see a small artificial valley - narrow and long: this is the so-called Kanob, reproducing the nature of the Nile Delta near Alexandria. In the center you will see a pool surrounded by columns, and in the depths there is a semicircular monumental fountain and the Temple of Serapis with Egyptian sculptures and statues of Antinous, a young favorite of the emperor who died in Egypt under mysterious circumstances.

Returning back, you can go through the Pretoria and the Guard Barracks (both rooms may have simply been storage rooms), after which you will find yourself at the imperial palace. There were four main groups of buildings: the Golden Square, the Doric Atrium, the Palace Peristyle and the Library Courtyard.

Solar thermal baths / Shutterstock.com

The Golden Square consists of a large courtyard enclosed by a columned portico and surrounded by a group of rooms arranged around a large octagonal space (where summer banquets may have been held). The Doric atrium is a spacious hall with a portico; it may have once been two stories high. Through the Palace Peristyle you can go to the Library Courtyard; here, around a portico with columns of the Corinthian order, various buildings are located. On one side there are guest rooms, and at the back of the courtyard there were two buildings that supposedly housed the Latin and Greek libraries.

Temple of Venus / Shutterstock.com

From here you can ascend to the Tempe Pavilion with Panoramic Terrace, a three-story structure overlooking the valley below, designed after the famous Tempe Valley in Thessaly. Further, behind a small grove, there is Fede’s house, built in the 18th century. on top of the nymphaeum, and a small theater with 500 seats for private performances that were staged for the emperor and his entourage.

Villa d'Este

Villa d'Este is a masterpiece of Italian landscape art and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its stunning ensemble of fountains, nymphaeans, grottoes, hydraulic devices and musical devices, which served as a model for many European gardens and parks of the Mannerist and Baroque era.

The garden of Villa d'Este is above all part of the magnificent landscape, artistic and historical context of Tivoli. It is located on an area rich in ravines, caves and waterfalls, where the war between stone and water raged for many thousands of years. Powerful structures and piles of terraces are reminiscent of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon - one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and water supply structures, including an underground tunnel, testify to the engineering knowledge of the ancient Romans.

Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este, disappointed at not being elected pope, decided to create a villa on a scale worthy of the courts of Ferrara, Rome and Fontainebleau, reviving the splendor of the nearby Villa Hadrian. In 1550, he became the ruler of Tivoli and in the same year he came up with the idea of laying out a garden on the steep slope of the local valley, but a full-fledged architectural project for the villa appeared only in 1560. Its authors were the artist, archaeologist and architect Pirro Ligorio, and the court architect undertook to implement the plan Alberto Galvani.

Leading representatives of Roman art of the late Mannerist period worked on decorating the halls of the palace: Livio Agresti, Federico Zuccari, Durante Alberti, Girolamo Muziano, Cesare Nebbia and Antonio Tempesta. By the time of the cardinal's death (1572), the arrangement of the villa was almost completed.

Since 1605, Cardinal Alessandro d'Este has ordered new work to restore and restore the hydraulic systems and garden vegetation, as well as to introduce some innovations into the structure of the garden and the ensemble of fountains.

Another stage of work was carried out in 1660-70, and it is notable for the fact that Gian Lorenzo Bernini himself took part in it.

In the 18th century Due to the lack of proper maintenance, the villa fell into disrepair, and when it came into the possession of the Habsburg house, the situation became even worse. The garden gradually became overgrown, the fountains were turned off and out of order, and the collection of ancient statues, collected in the era of Cardinal Ippolito, was divided and taken away in different directions.

The villa remained in this state until the mid-19th century, when Cardinal Gustav von Hohenlohe, who took it on a long-term lease from the Dukes of Modena in 1851, initiated work to restore the complex. Soon the estate again became the center of cultural life: from 1867 to 1882. The musician Franz Liszt (1811-1886) came to visit the cardinal more than once, who composed “The Fountains of the Villa d’Este” for piano here. Here, in 1879, Liszt played one of his last concerts.

Hotel “Villa Adriano” 4\*, located on the approaches to the central part of Estosadok, is located one and a half kilometers from the Mountain Carousel ski lift. This lift is capable of transporting hotel guests to an altitude of up to 2200 meters above sea level. Ski passes providing access to the local cable car can be purchased at prices ranging from 900 rubles for children in the spring season to 2,500 rubles for adults on New Year's Eve. Every day the ski lifts of the Mountain Carousel operate from 9:00 to 16:30. Under favorable weather conditions, they can be used until 23:00. However, in the evening, the lift can take guests of “Villa Adriano” 4\* only to a height of 1660 meters - there are no floodlights installed above to illuminate the slopes. The hotel is located one kilometer from Alpika Service. Most shopping facilities in this resort are open from 9:00 to 21:00 on any day. The lifts usually start operating at 9:30 am and stop at 5:30 pm. On Monday, the opening of the Alpika Service cable car is usually postponed to 11:30. Next door to Alpika Service there is a railway station. There, guests of the Villa Adriano 4\* hotel can book Aeroexpress tickets to quickly get to the center of Greater Sochi or the airport. In 15 minutes from the hotel you can get to Rosa Khutor. Most of the infrastructure of this resort is located on the Olympic Records Street. There you can have a snack, buy or rent ski equipment, and buy a ski pass. The price of the pass depends on the date of purchase and varies from 1000 to 2500 rubles. By booking a ski pass for the whole family, for a child or for a student, you can get a discount. When purchasing each pass, you must pay an additional 100 rubles for a contactless smart card.