Villa d'Este

Location:

Downtown Tivoli, Italy (about an hour east of Termini, via bus)

Metro:

None, see transportation instructions below

Time:

about 2 or 3 hours

Cost:

10.50 + optional 4 audio guide

Hours:

Tuesday - Sunday 8:30 AM - 6:30 PM, closed Monday

If you love fountains, go here. Villa d'Este is an early 17th century villa of the
d'Este family which has a spectacular terraced garden area filled with many
water fountains. To get there from Rome using public transportation, take
Metro Line B (blue) to Ponte Mammolo, then walk downstairs into the bus
station to buy a ticket (and your return ticket) on the local blue Corval bus to
Tivoli. It should cost 2.20 each way, and 3 buses run per hour for the 45
minute bus ride. Get off the bus in downtown Tivoli, which is after the bus
reaches the top of a winding hill. Walk across the central square past the
modern arch (photo at bottom of this page) to get to Villa d'Este. The villa
itself is only mildly interesting, actually closer to barely interesting; the real
action is in the garden out back.

I arrived early in the morning on a day that had some fog. The view beyond
the gardens to the town and hills below (1st photo below) was rather pretty, I
thought. When you step out of the villa into the gardens you're at the top level
of the gardens; ramps and stairways take you from this highest level to the
lower levels of the gardens. But before you begin, you can enjoy the view of
the countryside beyond the gardens from this top level. The sunbeams trying
to work their way through the fog at this upper level were picturesque (2nd
photo below).

The first fountain you come to on the prescribed route through the gardens,
right near this topmost perch, is the extremely modest Fountain of Leda and
Tripod (1st photo below). Shortly thereafter is the Fountain of Europa and
Pegasus (2nd photo below). The fountain is dominated by a statue of Pegasus,
the famous mythical winged horse which sprang from Medusa's blood when
Perseus beheaded her. The newborn horse flew to Mount Olympus where he
was tamed by Athena or Poseidon. Pegasus bore Perseus to the rescue of
Andromeda. In the fountain, the horse has outspread wings as if he is about to
fly off.

Looking out over the railing you can look down into the Fountain of Tivoli,
also called the Oval Fountain (1st photo below). The Tiburtin mountains are
represented by the greenery above the fountain, and three rivers cascade off
those mountains (the Aniene, Erculaneo and Albuneo). Water cascades from
the raised oval basin into a pool below. The fountain has statues representing
mythological heroes glorifying the d'Este dynasty and the greatness of Tivoli.
Once you walk down to the fountain's ground level, the view transforms into
that shown in the 2nd photo below.

At the same level as the Fountain of Tivoli, stretching all the way across the
gardens is a line of fountains called the Hundred Fountains, shown in the two

photos below. Gurgling water spouts from a hundred or so carved

fountainheads in various shapes and forms, including lilies, eagles, obelisks
and sailing boats. The water falls into long troughs, forming streams which
flow along the three levels and represent the three rivers (Aniene, Erculaneo
and Albuneo). At this point in my walk through the gardens, the fog has not
yet burned off, in fact, it's gotten thicker, and makes the morning air quite
chilly. I'm definitely feeling it was a mistake to wear shorts here, as the fog
blocks the sunlight and cools the air with its mist.

One level down takes me to the Fountain of the Dragons (two photos below),
so named because although the most prominent feature of this fountain is the
tall upward-shooting jet, four moss-covered dragons at the base add their
contribution to the action.

At one end of the next lower level of the gardens is the Fountain of the Organs
(1st photo below), which plays actual music thanks to a complex mechanism
invented by the Frenchman Claude Venard. The Water Organ Fountain, as it is
also known, is of baroque design, so deviates from the Renaissance style of
the rest of the villa and its gardens. Every hour or so, the organ plays (rather
quietly, don't be too near another fountain whose splashing water overwhelms
the organ's faint tones). In front of the Organ Fountain is the most spectacular
water feature at Villa d'Este: the Fountain of Neptune (2nd photo
below). Bernini originally built this fountain, but it was irreparably damaged
by two centures of neglect. Around 1930, Attillo Rossi carried out substantial
restoration work. With the help of engineer Ermo Salvati, Rossi restructured
the gradient in front of the Organ Fountain and created the spectacular

Neptune Fountain that can be seen today. The main jets of the Neptune
Fountain shoot 45 feet into the air; can you see the person in red standing at
the base of the fountain? There is a bust of Neptune between the two tallest
jets, but I didn't see it. This is the only fountain on the premises created during
the 20th century, and the only one that's driven by pumps rather than simple
water pressure from the pull of gravity as the water makes it's way to the
fountains from its source.

One level down again is the lowest level of the gardens at Villa d'Este. A
round feature surrounded by seats is found in a grove of ancient cypress trees
which might be among the oldest in Italy. In the center of the circle is the
fountain shown in the 1st photo below. Nearby is the one shown in the 2nd
photo below. Some of the cypress trees, and some of the gardens that these
fountains are found within, are shown in the 3rd photo below.

The Fountains of Mete Sudanti are pretty cool-looking moss-covered rocks.

They represent the Meta Sundans (sweating cone) fountain in Rome, once
located not far from the Arch of Constantine, where gladiators washed after
fighting in the Colloseum. It was built between 89 and 96 AD, just a few years
after the completion of the Colloseum, as a large monumental conical fountain
which sweated water rather than jetting it out the top. The fountain was
damaged during the Middle Ages and finally destroyed in 1936 when Benito
Mussolini had its remains demolished and paved over to make room for the
new traffic circle around the Colloseum.

The 1st photo below shows a hint at the first of two large ponds (stocked with
fish) in front of the Fountain of Neptune. The 2nd photo below is a view of
the Dragon Fountain and the Villa above it, taken from a pathway in-between
the two ponds.

The Fountain of the Owl (1st photo below) has a hydraulic device which uses
the power of the cascading water to propel an artificial owl towards some little
bronze birds perched on bronze branches, "frightening" them and causing
them to stop twittering. The twittering was produced by the pressure of air
coming out of the birds' beaks. Althouth the fountain was recently restored to
working order, It wasn't operating during my visit. But the ceramic columns
surrounding the fountain (photo at near right) are impressive. The nearby

Porsepina Fountain (photo at far right) shows Porsepina being carried to the
underworld after being abducted by Pluto. Except I think the fountain might
be too overgrown and ruinous to make out that scene.

The Fountain of Rometta (1st photo below) represents ancient Rome and
contains many of its symbols. The She-Wolf and the helmetted personification
of Rome at the upper-right corner of the fountain are shown in the close-up
2nd photo below. The boat below them represents Tiber Island. Inside the
lower cave on the left is Marforio, the symbol of the Tiber River. I don't know
who the woman holding up the cave to his upper-left is.

At the Fountain of the Rometta, we find ourselves at the other end of the
Hundred Fountains from where we started. You can see from the 1st photo
below that the fog is completely gone by now. Continuing the hike up stairs
and ramps to ascend out of the gardens and back to the villa, there are views
of the fountains now familiar, including the view of the Fountain of the
Rometta from above, shown in the 2nd photo below.

A final fountain on the grounds of Villa d'Este is shown in the 1st photo
below, the Grotto of Diana. The statues that adorned the cave, depicting two
Amazons, Minerva and Diana the huntress, are now in the Capitoline
Museum. Once outside the grounds, a bathtub fountain shown in the 2nd
photo below can be seen.

To go back to Rome, walk back through the arch (1st photo below) to the
main square in downtown Tivoli, and continue walking to the Corval bus stop
back on the main road next to the playground in the park. The bus will take
you to Ponte Mammolo, where you can ride the metro back to your hotel. If
you forgot to purchase your ticket, you can stop at the tobacco shop across the
street from the bus stop. If instead you're going toHadrian's Villa, I suggest
you either take a cab (they should be near the arch) for about 10, or buy a 1
ticket at the tobacco shop for the yellow bus to Villa Adriana (Hadrian's Villa),
which you pick up at that same bus stop near the playground.

See also:
My Villa d'Este photos