The original itinerary included a visit to Parco Villa Gregoriana (ranked #2 in Tivoli Attractions on Tripadvisor) after Villa d'Este. The park boasts some wonderful scenery and waterfalls (Who doesn't like falling water?) And with a cool scenic point called the Valley of Hell? Sign me up.
But I opted to nix the park because by that point, we were nearing the end of the trip and people were just plain tired. The triple whammy of Villa d'Este+Parco Villa Gregoriana+Villa Adriana would have pushed them over the edge and I was not ready to handle a mutiny.
So add "Parco Villa Gregoriana" to the "For Next Time" list.
Even with the nicely annotated map in hand, I still needed help locating the CAT (Tivoli's local line) bus stop. My brain just had a hard time reconciling Tivoli's convoluted roads and hilly geography with the two-dimensional map.
While we were waiting for the CAT 4/4X bus, several Cotral buses heading towards Rome passed by, and sure enough, each of them were all standing room only. And this was in the middle of a weekday. I can only imagine what rush hours are like. A lady who was sitting next to us actually waited through several buses just to make sure a seat was available. So glad we took the train.
Villa Adriana
Also known as Hadrian's Villa. I've probably mentioned this on the blog before but Hadrian is one of my favourite Roman emperors. I mean, the guy was a soldier, an architect (Hadrian's Wall in Britain and the Pantheon in Rome, just to name a couple), and a scholar. Plus, he was the best traveled of all the emperors, having visited most of the Roman territories during his reign. He is pretty much up there with Augustus, who happened to be his idol.
So I was super excited to visit his villa.
Got our tickets from the sullen-looking ticket seller. I suspect her mood was probably due to the lack of visitors (at least none that I saw for the first 15 minutes of our visit).
How was this possible? Villa Adriana is a freakin' UNESCO World Heritage Site!!!
When inquired about a guide map, I was directed to a souvenir stand outside the gate, the proprietor of which then proceeded to sell me an overpriced map.
It was stupid of me to have forgotten about the simplified map already on my tablet. And there went my gelato money!
Okay, in retrospect, I will fully admit that the map did turn out to be quite useful, having three versions (aerial diagram, miniature model, and illustration) available for reference.
Even with the map, it was difficult to navigate for the following reasons:
1) The grounds are huge - almost 40 structures spanning 120 hectares (about 224 football fields)
2) The buildings are in very dilapidated states. So aside from a few notable structures, it was hard to tell the buildings apart.
3) The visitor's path (if there is one) was not clearly marked.
4) Some buildings are multi-storied, with courtyards on the second story or even the roof. Without knowing, you might well be standing on the roof of the very building you're looking for.
That being said, a lot of the photos were taken without knowing exactly what the buildings were. So bear with me as I try to figure them out.
The Plastic Model Room
So important to visit this room to (at least try to) orient yourself. Maps might be helpful, but nothing beats a good miniature model.
Also, it gives you a sense of the size and grandeur of the estate back in its glory days.
Although it's called a villa, it is so much more than just a private residence. It also served as a place of government, and has three Baths, one Theatre, and even a Fire Station!
The Poecile
Originally, the pool was enclosed by a rectangular peristyle. The surrounding structure is all but gone save for one wall.
Still, it retained its peaceful atmosphere. I can totally see Hadrian strolling around the pool on a cool evening.
This is the Poecile, back in Hadrian's days.
[Note: these labelled photos belong to villa-adriana.net]
The Hundred Rooms (Cento Camerelle)
Built directly underneath the Poecile, this was the servants' quarters.
An literal downstairs, upstairs situation.
And the emperor and his guests would have seen very little of the servants due to an extensive network of service tunnels underneath the estate.
Roman engineering, amazing!
The Building of Three Exedras
Or, as I like to call it, the Three-Leaf Clover Building.
A square surrounded by three semi-circular spaces. Function unclear.
Hadrian had some very unique ideas on architecture and a fascination with circles and spheres. This was definitely one of them.
Once, numerous statuary masterpieces lined the canal, most of which are now in museums (one of my favourite statues, Diana of Versailles, came from Villa Adriana). We saw quite of few of them in the Capitaline and Vatican museums. Only a few replicas remain on site.
At the other end of the canal is the Serapeum, a summer dining hall. It was designed so that continuous running water inside the Serapeum would cool the guests as they dined. Air-conditioning, Roman-style.
The concrete/plaster replicas are starting to show their age. As you can see by the metal rod supports poking out from the crocodile statue.
The museum, in the background, where some of the original statues are kept was not open. It might be that we were unlucky and it was just an one-time thing, but everything I've seen so far suggests a serious funding issue.
Again, I have to stress just how vast Hadrian's Villa truly is. The premises also included libraries (one Latin, one Greek, and one private), guesthouses, temples, and a gymnasium. Unfortunately, they were in such dilapidated states that after a while, the ruins all started to blur together.
But every now and then, you catch a glimpse of of the villa's spectacular past. And your imagination just goes wild.
The other gem of Hadrian's Villa, the Maritime Theatre, Hadrian's private sanctuary. It follows a typical Roman residential layout but in a circular format, a daring innovation at the time. Plus, it has a moat!
Unfortunately, it was under renovations during our visit.
I left Villa Adriana feeling conflicted.
On the one hand, it was disappointing to see the sorry states all the buildings were in and the lack of protection from further deterioration. And the buildings' interiors were all closed off to the public.
On the other hand, this is history - the plunderings (Villa d'Este used a lot of the marbles from here), wars, and time had all left their indelible marks. The simple fact that these buildings were still standing, even partially, after two centuries is amazing and a true testament to Roman construction.
Would I visit Vila Adriana again? I think so. Even if it's just to see the renovated Maritime Theatre.
We were lucky enough to to catch a train within minutes of departure. Even more luckily, it was the express. Dinner was had at a Chinese restaurant we had visited years ago. (I know, I know, Chinese food in Italy, land of cheese, pizza and pasta!?! What can I say except that I was outvoted. But at least the food wasn't terrible.)
Postscript: This post took a really long time to write up since I couldn't identify over half of the photos and required a lot of referencing maps and online images. This is where a GPS-enabled camera would have come in handy.
The two websites below are must-reads for Villa Adriana.
This website (http://www.villa-adriana.net/) reminds me of the old geocities websites. It provides a great comprehensive guide to Villa Adriana, its history, and architecture. It offers maps detailing various aspects of the grounds, such as types of waterworks and retaining walls. It even comes with a bibliography (yes, I'm impressed by that). Reading it before my visit would have helped.
Another cool site (http://vwhl.clas.virginia.edu/villa/index.php) offers building layouts, panoramic views, aerial photos, and even 3D models. It helps you understand the complexities of the architecture. Eventually, the entire Villa Adriana will be digitalized into a Sim-like game. I can't wait. The story behind the project: Link.
But I opted to nix the park because by that point, we were nearing the end of the trip and people were just plain tired. The triple whammy of Villa d'Este+Parco Villa Gregoriana+Villa Adriana would have pushed them over the edge and I was not ready to handle a mutiny.
So add "Parco Villa Gregoriana" to the "For Next Time" list.
Even with the nicely annotated map in hand, I still needed help locating the CAT (Tivoli's local line) bus stop. My brain just had a hard time reconciling Tivoli's convoluted roads and hilly geography with the two-dimensional map.
While we were waiting for the CAT 4/4X bus, several Cotral buses heading towards Rome passed by, and sure enough, each of them were all standing room only. And this was in the middle of a weekday. I can only imagine what rush hours are like. A lady who was sitting next to us actually waited through several buses just to make sure a seat was available. So glad we took the train.
Villa Adriana
Also known as Hadrian's Villa. I've probably mentioned this on the blog before but Hadrian is one of my favourite Roman emperors. I mean, the guy was a soldier, an architect (Hadrian's Wall in Britain and the Pantheon in Rome, just to name a couple), and a scholar. Plus, he was the best traveled of all the emperors, having visited most of the Roman territories during his reign. He is pretty much up there with Augustus, who happened to be his idol.
So I was super excited to visit his villa.
Got our tickets from the sullen-looking ticket seller. I suspect her mood was probably due to the lack of visitors (at least none that I saw for the first 15 minutes of our visit).How was this possible? Villa Adriana is a freakin' UNESCO World Heritage Site!!!
When inquired about a guide map, I was directed to a souvenir stand outside the gate, the proprietor of which then proceeded to sell me an overpriced map.
It was stupid of me to have forgotten about the simplified map already on my tablet. And there went my gelato money!
Okay, in retrospect, I will fully admit that the map did turn out to be quite useful, having three versions (aerial diagram, miniature model, and illustration) available for reference.
Even with the map, it was difficult to navigate for the following reasons:
1) The grounds are huge - almost 40 structures spanning 120 hectares (about 224 football fields)
2) The buildings are in very dilapidated states. So aside from a few notable structures, it was hard to tell the buildings apart.
3) The visitor's path (if there is one) was not clearly marked.
4) Some buildings are multi-storied, with courtyards on the second story or even the roof. Without knowing, you might well be standing on the roof of the very building you're looking for.
That being said, a lot of the photos were taken without knowing exactly what the buildings were. So bear with me as I try to figure them out.
The Plastic Model RoomSo important to visit this room to (at least try to) orient yourself. Maps might be helpful, but nothing beats a good miniature model.
Also, it gives you a sense of the size and grandeur of the estate back in its glory days.
Although it's called a villa, it is so much more than just a private residence. It also served as a place of government, and has three Baths, one Theatre, and even a Fire Station!
The PoecileOriginally, the pool was enclosed by a rectangular peristyle. The surrounding structure is all but gone save for one wall.
Still, it retained its peaceful atmosphere. I can totally see Hadrian strolling around the pool on a cool evening.
This is the Poecile, back in Hadrian's days.
The Hundred Rooms (Cento Camerelle)Built directly underneath the Poecile, this was the servants' quarters.
An literal downstairs, upstairs situation.
And the emperor and his guests would have seen very little of the servants due to an extensive network of service tunnels underneath the estate.
Roman engineering, amazing!
The Building of Three ExedrasOr, as I like to call it, the Three-Leaf Clover Building.
A square surrounded by three semi-circular spaces. Function unclear.
Hadrian had some very unique ideas on architecture and a fascination with circles and spheres. This was definitely one of them.
Little Thermae (?)
For the upperclass.
Great Thermae
For the servants.
There was no mention of either places on the map, so I took a photo to remind myself to look them up afterwards. Turns out, Rocca Bruna and Alberobello are two restaurants nearby. I hope the villa gets monetary compensation for any tourists lured to the restaurants due to those signs.
Whole new meaning to the phrase "Tourist Trap".
Canopus
The most photogenic area of the entire villa. It is so named after the river in Egypt where Hadrian's lover Antonius drowned. A little morbid, if you ask me.Once, numerous statuary masterpieces lined the canal, most of which are now in museums (one of my favourite statues, Diana of Versailles, came from Villa Adriana). We saw quite of few of them in the Capitaline and Vatican museums. Only a few replicas remain on site.
At the other end of the canal is the Serapeum, a summer dining hall. It was designed so that continuous running water inside the Serapeum would cool the guests as they dined. Air-conditioning, Roman-style.
The concrete/plaster replicas are starting to show their age. As you can see by the metal rod supports poking out from the crocodile statue.
The museum, in the background, where some of the original statues are kept was not open. It might be that we were unlucky and it was just an one-time thing, but everything I've seen so far suggests a serious funding issue.
Praetorium
Living quarters - nobility in the upper levels with the view and service staff in the lower levels along with storage.
Random photos.
Again, I have to stress just how vast Hadrian's Villa truly is. The premises also included libraries (one Latin, one Greek, and one private), guesthouses, temples, and a gymnasium. Unfortunately, they were in such dilapidated states that after a while, the ruins all started to blur together.
But every now and then, you catch a glimpse of of the villa's spectacular past. And your imagination just goes wild.
The other gem of Hadrian's Villa, the Maritime Theatre, Hadrian's private sanctuary. It follows a typical Roman residential layout but in a circular format, a daring innovation at the time. Plus, it has a moat!Unfortunately, it was under renovations during our visit.
Temple of Venus
All that's left of the Greek Theatre.
On the one hand, it was disappointing to see the sorry states all the buildings were in and the lack of protection from further deterioration. And the buildings' interiors were all closed off to the public.
On the other hand, this is history - the plunderings (Villa d'Este used a lot of the marbles from here), wars, and time had all left their indelible marks. The simple fact that these buildings were still standing, even partially, after two centuries is amazing and a true testament to Roman construction.
Would I visit Vila Adriana again? I think so. Even if it's just to see the renovated Maritime Theatre.
We were lucky enough to to catch a train within minutes of departure. Even more luckily, it was the express. Dinner was had at a Chinese restaurant we had visited years ago. (I know, I know, Chinese food in Italy, land of cheese, pizza and pasta!?! What can I say except that I was outvoted. But at least the food wasn't terrible.)
Postscript: This post took a really long time to write up since I couldn't identify over half of the photos and required a lot of referencing maps and online images. This is where a GPS-enabled camera would have come in handy.
The two websites below are must-reads for Villa Adriana.
This website (http://www.villa-adriana.net/) reminds me of the old geocities websites. It provides a great comprehensive guide to Villa Adriana, its history, and architecture. It offers maps detailing various aspects of the grounds, such as types of waterworks and retaining walls. It even comes with a bibliography (yes, I'm impressed by that). Reading it before my visit would have helped.
Another cool site (http://vwhl.clas.virginia.edu/villa/index.php) offers building layouts, panoramic views, aerial photos, and even 3D models. It helps you understand the complexities of the architecture. Eventually, the entire Villa Adriana will be digitalized into a Sim-like game. I can't wait. The story behind the project: Link.
No comments:
Post a Comment