Hadrian’s Villa

We took a tour from Rome to Tivoli. It included a guided-tour around Hadrian’s Villa followed by an hour’s break for lunch and concluding with a guided-tour around Villa d’Este before ride back to Rome.

Hadrian’s Villa is a 40 hectares excavation site of a Roman Villa. The Villa was constructed as a retreat for Emperor Hadrian during the second and third decades of the 2nd century AD.

Quote and unquote my tour guide, Hadrian’s Villa produces olive oil annually from harvesting the olive trees in the villa garden. The venture which took off in 2018 between Italy’s olive farmers association and the curators of Hadrian’s Villa succeeded in officially recognising Olea Hadriani (Hadrian’s oil in Latin) as a product of Rome. This is definitely a home-made brand to be proud of.

Walking through the excavation site surrounded by olive and cypress trees brings an image to mind of the lavish yet peaceful lifestyle of the Emperor within this retreat.

Among my favorite structures, the so-called Philosophers’ Hall or The Hall of the Seven Sages. Without doubt, the apse’s niches used to contain the statues of either the seven philosophers or seven sages of Greece. From an architectural point of view, the building has a large rectangular hall with seven openings which connects it to the outside. The small produced by clamps that carried decorative slates of marbles.

How to get there: Direct train ride of approximately 45mins by Trenitalia for EUR2,60 from Roma Tiburtina to Trivoli station. Catch Line 4 from train station to Hadrian’s Villa. Click for timetable to catch the bus. You should plan at least 2 hours visiting Hadrian’s Villa. Entrance: Standard EUR17,00; Reduced ticket (EU citizens 18-24yrs) EUR7,00; Children 6-17yrs – EUR4,00. More updates visit https://www.museumsrome.com/