- Hadrian’s Villa is situated at Tivoli, 18 miles (30km) north of Rome, and built between 117-120 CE.
- It was Hadrian’s Palace in the country and held the greatest Roman imitation of a Garden of Alexandria. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Description
- Hadrian preferred to live here, rather than in the Imperial Palace on the Palatine.
- An Imperial Court was in permanent residence here from 128 CE onwards, connected by Post to Rome.
- The villa covered the same area as a small Roman city, over one third of a square mile (1 square km), with water supplied from four of the Aqueducts of Ancient Rome.
- It contained over 30 buildings and baths which were surrounded by gardens with pools and fountains, and a network of tunnels was used by the servants to move around the site.
- Excavations of the villa found many copies of Greek Statues, some of which are now in the Capitoline Museums or the Vatican Museums. Others are to be found in museums around the world.
- The Villa is considered to be the inspiration for the Renaissance and Baroque period. The Italian Architect, Borromini (1599-1667 CE), was inspired by buildings at Hadrian’s Villa to design buildings in the Baroque style, the revival of Greek and Roman architecture begun during the Renaissance.
Hadrian’s Villa, Tivoli