TIVOLI

New! The perfect Sunday day trip!

Sundays only

• Tivoli
• Villa Adriana
• Villa d’Este, the “Fountain of 100 Spouts”

For small private tours, we offer one of the most incredible day trips out of Rome … TIVOLI! It starts with the Villa of Hadrian in the morning, in gorgeous countryside about one hour outside of Rome. Hadrian started out his reign in 117 C.E. (the Common Era) as one of the world’s great statesmen and architects, and then went completely insane. In his paranoic eagerness to stay away from Rome, he had the entire government of the Empire moved out to his wife’s villa. Imagine moving the entire government structure and buildings in Washington, DC out to a family ranch in Delaware and you get the idea. The entire project took tens of thousands of slaves ten years, but he did it. During the tour, your docent will recount some of the horrible history of Hadrian and his war on ancient Israel. We’ll see intact mosaics, and view some of his incredibly sophisticated and inventive structures. After exploring the amazing sights there, the next stop is the mad Cardinal d’Este’s Villa with its world famous fountain pleasure garden, with a snack out on the Cardinal’s own Renaissance terrace with its breathtaking views. The composers Palestrina and Franz Liszt both were guests in this villa in different eras, and each wrote music dedicated to this early version of Disneyland. You’ll see why both villas won the prestigious title of Official World Heritage Site! Villa Adriana as a model – how Hadrian’s complex looked when new, 19 centuries ago.

This is an unforgettable full day tour, usually available on Sundays only (off-season, there is also the possibility to book a tour Tuesdays-Fridays, if scheduled far enough in advance). For larger groups, we will need advance notice in order to rent a suitable vehicle for the day, so those rental costs will have to be figured in. Entrance fees for the two separate Villas come to about 15-16 euros per person, including entrance tickets for your docent as well. For visitors needing to bring along kosher box lunches, please let us know far enough in advance so we can help you plan properly.