Tivoli, Italy
You may have never heard of the old town of Tivoli, Italy, until now, and I guarantee you won’t want to miss it. If you have time on your trip to Rome, it is essential that you drive the 45 minutes to this magical place. The drive into the old town was much different than other towns around Italy, almost as if you could feel the history driving its narrow roads.
As we were strapped for time driving from Puglia to Rome, we had less time than I anticipated to tour the historic town. Luckily, the one thing I had my heart set on was to tour the Villa d’Este, a 16th-century villa covered with gardens and grottos. The word magical does not do this place justice.
Jaw-dropping views of hillsides covered in greenery, speckled with old brown slate roofs.
To purchase tickets, you will stand in line at the villa's front entrance. Once you have your tickets in hand, you are free to roam the villa's interior and the gardens behind the villa. Tickets will cost only 15 euros a person. We easily spent two hours at Villa d'Este.
Villa d'Este is over 400 years old and exceptionally known for the different sports played at the villa. The museum inside the villa takes you back to a time when sports were merely made for men, and the villa hosts some of the most significant events. Ippolito II d'Este, the grandson of the pope, was known for his eccentric ways. His villa is now a World Heritage Site.
The biggest draw of the Villa d’Este is the immaculate gardens you will get lost in. After leaving the interior, you will find your way down a staircase into the forefront of the gardens and be stuck with a decision to start left or right. No matter your choice, you will return to where you started. My favorite part of the gardens is the Hundred Fountains, with over 300 faces and structures spouting out water the length of a football field. I could sit there all day staring at the lush greenery and listening to the sound of water.
As you stroll through the garden, you will pass many fountains. Some fountains are so extravagant I questioned how they were made 400 years ago. Don’t miss the Fountain of Organ at 10:30 a.m., where 144 pipes are chimed by the water within the fountain. One fountain you can’t miss is the Fountain of Neptune, one of the biggest ones in the villa, spanning three stories tall. Check every corner of the estate so you don’t miss fountains hidden in the back, such as the Fountain of Rometta, shown in the second picture.
One of the most calming fountains was the Oval Fountain. Something about this fountain just gave peace and tranquility. Dont skip Tivoli or the Villa d'Este when you're in Rome. It was well worth the visit, and I wish we had more time to check out the town.
Thank you for checking out my post on Tivoli, Italy. I hope you found something of interest or useful. Please use the comment section for more ideas, but please don’t be rude; as always, travel on
and fall in love with fountains, not in them.