Villa d'Este

In the heat of a Roman summer, a visit to Villa d'Este is a cooling treat. (It's in the town of Tivoli, not too far away.)



This 16th century estate was the home of Cardinal Ippolito d'Este. Nice place for someone who took a vow of poverty!



The gardens of the estate are filled and surrounded by water -- pools and fountains everywhere. Gorgeous views, too.



The model of the city of Rome, called Rometta, is a fountain, too.



The walkway lined with animal-faced spouts is called Viale delle Cento Fontane (avenue of the 100 fountains).



At the end is an open mouth swallowing all that water.



This view looks down on the water-organ, an organ that supposedly makes music from the force of water pumping air through pipes.



We didn't get a photo of the strolling vocal group singing madrigals. They were good!

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.