Villa d'Este

In the heart of Tibur Superbum

Majestic and elegant, Villa d'Este stands in the centre of Tivoli, the ancient Latin city near Rome - defined by the Roman poet Virgil as Tibur Superbum - a privileged destination for novelists, painters, poets and musicians at the time of the Grand Tour for its stunning landscapes and precious archaeological and architectural evidence from various ages. 
Since 2001, it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with the imposing Villa Adriana ( included in the list since 1999), the residence built by Emperor Hadrian around 126 AD. Since 2016, both sites have united under the management of the museum institution Le Villæ - Istituto autonomo Villa Adriana e Villa D'Este (MiC).  

The Renaissance dream of Ippolito d'Este

The sumptuous residence, realised in the second half of the 16th century,  was commissioned by Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este, son of Duke Alfonso I and Lucrezia Borgia, a lover of the arts and patron of artists and writers. After he failed to be elected to the papal throne, which had always been his greatest aspiration, his destiny became inextricably linked to the history of this enchanting town. In 1550, Pope Julius III gave him the title of lifetime governor of Tivoli, where the cardinal began to cultivate the dream of building a residence inspired by the magnificence of the courts of Ferrara, Rome and Fointanebleau and which would evoke the magnificence of Villa Adriana.

The imposing project, entrusted to the Neapolitan architect and painter Pirro Ligorio and realised by the court architect Alberto Galvani, took shape after 1560 and continued for more than twenty years: at the death of Ippolito II d'Este in 1572, the villa was almost complete. The subject of further enlargement and embellishment by the cardinal's heirs, it later passed to the Habsburgs and, after a period of decadence, regained its former splendour with the German cardinal Gustav Adolf von Hohenlohe, who once again made it a prestigious cultural centre, often inviting Franz Liszt between 1867 and 1882. Here, the famous musician, inspired by the atmosphere of the place, composed numerous pieces, including Aux cyprès de la Villa d'Este, Christus and Les jeux d'eau à la Villa d'Este, also performing one of his last concerts in 1879. At the beginning of the previous century, the villa, acquired by the Italian State, was restored and opened to the public.

A refined architectural masterpiece in the Gaudente Valley

An airy slope with a breathtaking view punctuated by vineyards and olive groves, the Valle Gaudente (joyful) was the perfect place to build the luxurious residence of the cardinal. The Villa d'Este complex, covering an area of approximately 4.5 hectares, looks like a quadrilateral with irregular lines due to the need to integrate the pre-existing Benedictine convent into the design of the new palace, overlooking the spectacular gardens with its three-level structure and sober façade, enriched in the centre by an elegant loggia with a double flight of stairs. The interiors are beautifully frescoed by some of the greatest late Roman Mannerists - such as Livio Agresti, Federico Zuccari, Girolamo Muziano, Cesare Nebbia, Durante Alberti and Antonio - with references to classical mythology and the history of Tivoli.

The exterior is a garden of wonders: fountains, basins, cascades, grottoes and nymphaea, magnificently integrated into the greenery, marked by the geometries of the paths crossing the sloping terraces. A masterful example of hydraulic engineering, the villa's garden is a triumph of water features of the numerous fountains, such as the spectacular Fountain of Ovato, also known as the Fountain of Tivoli; crowned by the statue of the Sibyl Albunea, with its semi-circular exedra embracing a large oval basin, it represents the city's waterfall, its rivers - Aniene and Ercolano - and the Tiburtine mountains.

The monumental Baroque-style Fountain of the Organ is richly decorated and famous for reproducing sounds similar to the musical instrument, thanks to an ingenious hydraulic system, kept inside a small temple, flanked by two niches with statues of Apollo and Orpheus and four imposing telamons. A succession of fountains on three levels, adorned with lilies, eagles and small boats, characterises the evocative viale delle Cento Fontane (Avenue of the Hundred Fountains), which connects the Fontana dell'Ovato to the Fountain of Rometta, a sinuous waterway evoking the Tiber, with a large boat in the centre - a symbol of the Tiber Island - dominated by a statue of the Goddess Roma and the She-wolf nursing the twins Romulus and Remus. Strolling through the Italian garden, you can admire, among others, the Fountain of the Bicchierone - a large shell valve with a chalice inside - created by Bernini in the second half of the 17th century, the Fountain of the Dragons, a large basin with a sculptural group of four dragons gushing water from their mouths, and the 20th-century Fountain of Neptune, a majestic cascade, framed by powerful jets of water creating an unforgettable scenic effect.  

Photo: The Fish Ponds, Villa d'Este - courtesy of Le Villae - Villa Adriana e Villa d'Este-MiC