Rome: Day Tour of Villa D’Este & Hadrian’s Villa Tivoli

Depart Rome and transfer to Tivoli to tour 2 of Italy’s most impressive villas on this full-day tour of the Villa D’Este and Hadrian’s Villa, with time to explore both magnificent country estates. Drive to Hadrian’s Villa, built in the 2nd century by Emperor Hadrian, and once greater than the center of Imperial Rome. The largest and most luxurious residence ever built in Italy, it features an impressive array of imperial palaces, temples, theaters, thermal baths and pools.

After lunch, explore the grounds of the Villa D’Este, your guide will tell you about the history and development of the villa, considered one of the most enchanting sites of the late Italian Renaissance. Once the home of Lucrezia Borgia’s son, it is renowned for its spectacular gardens and trees, as well as its waterfalls and fountains, such as the Fontana dell’Ovato and Le Cento Fontane (The Hundred Fountains). Highlights of the grounds include the caryatids and columns of the Canopus and Serapeum, the villa’s pool and artificial grotto, named after an Egyptian city and temple dedicated to the god Serapis, and the Maritime Theatre, where a small Roman house was thought to have provided retreat from the demands of court life