Hadrian's Villa

The emperor Hadrian had a summer estate in Tivoli, not far from Rome. Today it is an open-air museum.

This area is known as the Maritime Theater. It features a small island in a turtle-filled pond. The island is thought to have been Hadrian's painting and architecture studio.



Hadrian had many replicas of classic ancient structures built. The Canopus is a replica of a sanctuary to the god Serapis near Alexandria, Egypt.



There are many buildings visitors can walk through. Some contain floor mosaics. Here is some detail from one of them.



There are other decorative touches still visible.



Looking out from a rooftop, the view is pastoral.