The alarm rouses me from sleep for a day at Villa d’Este and the first thing I feel is my aching feet, sore from a couple of weeks of walking. Not that I don’t like walking, I do, I like it a lot, especially when exploring new and wonderful places. It’s just that we’ve been doing a LOT of walking lately. Sore feet is not enough to keep me from rousing myself from bed though. No when a day trip to Tivoli is on the cards. And I’ll have a bit of time on the train and bus to get there, once we’re on our way.
We’re out the door with only the usual amount of chaos – lost sunglasses, double checks for hats and snacks and four or five rounds of “why haven’t you got your shoes on yet?”.
As soon as we’re out the door, my sore feet are forgotten as we head off on another adventure! Up the cobbled lane way, to Piazza Barberini and down to the Metro station of the same name. The boys are young enough that a train ride is still somewhat of a novelty and with only a small amount of confusion, we transfer trains and find tickets, along with the connecting bus and we’re on our way.
The bus ride is non-eventful. We succumb to letting the boys watch something (for the zillienth time) on the iPad during the journey as I observe the suburbs of Rome and eventually we start climbing noticeably upwards, into the hills. We arrive in Tivoli and navigate our way to the Villa. It doesn’t look much from the entrance along Via Boscelli on the edge of town.
Once past the ticket counter, however, we enter the main courtyard, the cloisters. In fact, the Villa was commissioned by Ippelito d’Este, Cardinal of Ferrera and grandson of Pope Alexander VI. Work began on the Villa in 1560 but the Cardinal took up residence in the Benedictine convent of S. Maria Maggiore in 1550 when he became Governor of Tivoli. The cloisters being part of the convent that was later extended into the palace that it became.
The Palazzo wraps itself around three sides of the courtyard, the forth side being a part of the wall of the church next door. The water theme starts immediately with a fountain on the church wall, as a feature of the cloisters. After all, this villa is really all about the gardens, but the Palazzo has some wonderful examples of stuccoes and frescoes, all that remain of the exquisite Renaissance splendors of the original interiors.
The furnishings may be missing but if you look up, there is certainly enough splendor. The Room of Noah depicts God as He appears to Noah after the deluge, having demonstrated His power through water, the very theme of the Villa. In fact, in the animals on the right hand side is a large white eagle, the emblem of Este, the Cardinal entwining himself into the picture. This is a common theme amongst the pictures as once I know this, I spot the eagles all over the place.
The Room of the Nobility moves away from the religious theme towards symbolic representations of the the House of Este. The main walls depict Virtue and the Liberal Arts with background of Pompeian red. The eagle is placed higher up in the four corners of the room.
Here the Este coat of arms is beautifully painted on an exquisite ceiling. As I venture outside, the eagle theme continues. I am swept away by the views as I follow the noise of the boys along an avenue of fountains. Unlike the very well maintained eagle, the fountains along here are dark and mossy the little faces, the source of the water spouts, surprise me as I find them dotted among ferns and lichen.
The effect is wonderful, the hundred fountains like a spouting hedge and the intensity of the green along with the rush of the water is welcome on this warm day. And then, there it is. Right in front of me, the incredible Fontana di Tivoli. Also known as dell’Ovato (the oval or egg), the water spurts from the large central cup where the water rises in the form of a fleur-de-lis. The cup overflows into a large oval pool surrounded by an exhedra containing ten arches and niches where nymphs luxuriate.
Atop the exhedra that frames the fountain, three huge statues are almost hidden by the greenery, they are the statues of the Tiburtine Sibyl and the rivers Erculaneo and Aniene. The noise is almost deafening and we find a spot in the shade to break out our snacks whilst admiring the view and the sunshine, even if it is a little noisy.
After our refreshments we wander the gardens, playing hide and seek, bewildered by the scale and beauty of the estate. We come across the Fontana dell’Organo (Fountain of the Organ), one of the most famous features of the garden. Literally a water organ, the water was driven through pipes at the same time another mechanism lowered the keys in order to make music with water. It has now been restored and the water organ plays at certain time of the day.
It’s all very interesting but perhaps the better view is if I turn around to gaze over the Fontana del Nettuno across the gardens and to the lower lands beyond. The pools below reflect the blues of the sky and stand out again the gushing water and the greenery of the tendered garden beds below. It’s full summer here and even if some of the tourists look a little heat weary, the landscape appears fresh and in full summer bloom.
We head down the steep paths, taking care not to slip on the uneven stones underfoot. Then we enjoy the gardens, for it is essentially a private park. We play hide and seek as the boys run between manicured topiary that makes a sort of maze and laugh as the boys surprise us with a loud and unexpected “boo!” around a corner.
I leave the boys to run around a bit more as I head back up to the Palazzo. I take in the views from the Vialone (terrace) before returning inside to explore the remainder of the rooms.
Inside I find the Hunting Room where vast frescoes depict wild boar, deer, hare and birds in picturesque country scenery, peaceful until the hunters and their dogs charge through to chase their prey. I rather prefer the idea of this little interlude under the trees, except for, perhaps, the jostle going on behind the intimates.
I make my way through to discover Cardinal Ippolito’s private chapel and bedroom chambers. There isn’t much more to see and although I would like to linger, the afternoon is getting on and we need to find some lunch. We wander in to town but it’s practically deserted, perhaps everyone is away for the summer. We find something to keep us going and gelato, of course and pause for a rest.
A little more time is taken for a walk around the town. We try access to the Rocca Pia fortress, and imposing four towered fortress in the middle of town. It was commissioned by a pope and built in 1461, later serving as a prison. This is all I can find out as it’s not open and there is no information around.
I had hoped to get to Hadrian’s Villa but the best of the day is behind us. The boys, while still energetic now, will begin to fade quickly soon and I feel a dull ache in my feet. It’s time to take the return journey to Rome. I breathe a little sigh of relief as I sit down on the bus at the end of the day, feet sore, mind filled with wonderful images from the day. We pull the iPad out for the boys and enjoy the quiet ride.
Would I Return?
Yes. Villa d’Este is an interesting destination full of beautiful architecture, wonderful frescoes and tranquil gardens.
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