This ancient Roman resort town, 20 miles east of Rome, has two UNESCO sites: Villa d'Este with its Renaissance fountains and Hadrian's Villa, a 2nd-century palace complex.
Tivoli sits 30 kilometers east of Rome, where Renaissance cardinals and Roman emperors built their summer residences. You'll find the 500 fountains of Villa d'Este, the 300-acre ruins of Hadrian's Villa, and the 120-meter waterfall at Villa Gregoriana. The town's position on limestone cliffs created ideal conditions for water engineering projects that still function today.
Exploring Villa d'Este Gardens
The 16th-century Villa d'Este has over 500 fountains across its terraced gardens. Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este built this system that runs entirely on gravity. The Water Organ Fountain once created music through water pressure, while along the Avenue of the Hundred Fountains, water flows from stone masks. Cypress trees line the paths between fountains, and water cascades create walls in front of stone grottos.
Inside Hadrian's Villa
Emperor Hadrian's countryside residence covers 300 acres with palaces, baths, and theaters. The complex includes buildings inspired by Hadrian's travels: an Egyptian temple, Greek libraries, and Roman baths. In the Maritime Theater, a circular building with a moat served as the emperor's private study. The Canopus pool stretches 119 meters long, with Greek statue replicas lining its edges.
Walking Through Villa Gregoriana
Villa Gregoriana's paths follow the Aniene River gorge. You'll walk past the Great Waterfall, which drops 120 meters through tunnels engineers carved into the rock in the 1830s. Two Roman temples stand on the cliff edge: the circular Temple of Vesta and the rectangular Temple of Sibyl. The path network takes you through limestone caves and along the gorge rim with multiple waterfall viewing points.
Getting to Tivoli
Trains depart from Rome's Tiburtina station to Tivoli hourly, taking 45 minutes. A faster option is taking the metro to Ponte Mammolo station and catching a COTRAL bus to central Tivoli. By car, take the A24 motorway east from Rome and exit at Tivoli.
Local Food and Restaurants
Ristorante Sibilla, open since the 1720s, serves pasta made with local recipes and ingredients, with tables facing the ancient temples. La Fornarina makes wood-fired pizzas with thin, crispy crusts, while Ilovit bakes fresh cornetti and serves Italian coffee. Note that most restaurants close between 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM.
