Location: 30 km North- East of Rome, Tivoli Map
Open: 9am- 1.5 hours before sunset
Closed: 1st Jan, 1st May,
25th Dec
Entrance Fee: Euro 8
Tel. +39 0774 382733
Hadrian's Villa is an ancient Imperial Roman Villa situated 30 km North- East of Rome in the city of Tivoli in Italy. It was constructed by the Ancient Roman Emperor Hadrian to commemorate his attachment to his lover who drowned in the Nile River. History claims that it was an accident. Whatever happened to the young man will never be known. Nevertheless an Egyptian motif is commonly seen in statues of Hadrian's Villa. As you walk through the ruins of Hadrian's Villa of the entertainment complex of the ruler you can notice obvious influence of Hellenistic Egypt on the layout and architecture.
It is located on the
Tiburtini Mountains, about 28 km (17 Roman miles) from Rome, from
which it was reachable both by means of the Via Tiburtina Valeria or
the Via Prenestina, and by navigating the Aniene river. The Villa
was located on the right of via Tiburtina, just beyond the Lucano
bridge, extending almost to the slopes of Mount Ripoli on which
Tivoli stands.
The chosen area stretched between the valleys
of the ditches of Risicoli or Roccabruna to the west and of the
Acqua Ferrata to the east, which, once gathered, then flow into the
Aniene; it was an area rich in water and four of the ancient Roman
aqueducts that served Rome passed through it (Anio Vetus, Anio
Novus, Aqua Marcia and Aqua Claudia). Nearby there is still the
sulfur spring of Acque Albule (Bagni di Tivoli), which was known and
appreciated by the emperor. In the surrounding area there were also
numerous quarries for building materials (travertine, tuff and
limestone for making lime).
«He had a villa built with exceptional magnificence in
Tivoli where the most famous places of the provinces of the empire were
reproduced with their names, such as the Lyceum, the Academy, the
Prytaneum, the city of Canopus, the Pecile and the valley of Tempe ; and
in order not to leave anything out, he had also had the underworld
depicted on it. »
(Historia Augusta, Vita Hadriani, XXVI, 5)
Among the many rustic villas which had sprung up between Rome and Tivoli
since the Republican age, there already existed one built in the Silla
period, enlarged at the time of Julius Caesar, which perhaps came into
the possession of Hadrian's wife, Vibia Sabina, who came from a family
of ancient Italian nobility. This was the first nucleus of the villa,
later incorporated into the Imperial Palace.
The study of the
canalization system and the sewers seems to indicate that the design of
the complex was unitary, even if the brick stamps found in about half of
the buildings reveal three particularly active construction phases
between 118 and 121, 125 and 128 and 134-138 (allowing us to embrace a
presumable construction interval between 118 and 138). Returning to Rome
in the early months of 134, Hadrian was only able to enjoy the villa for
the last years of its existence, until his death in Baia on 10 July 138.
The complexity of the residence, rather than the numerous facets of
Hadrian's personality, was due to the need to satisfy different needs
and functions (residential, representation, service), as well as the
jagged layout of the land; the magnificence and articulation of the
buildings reflect the emperor's innovative ideas in the architectural
field. It is commonly stated that he wanted to reproduce in his villa
the places and monuments that had most struck him during his travels in
the provinces of the empire, based on a passage from his late ancient
biographer Aelius Spartiano. In reality, the buildings of the villa
present all the most innovative features of the Roman architecture of
the time, for which Hadrian's reproductions of monuments from Greece or
Egypt should be understood more as evocative suggestions than as real
reconstructions.
This led him to have a more absolutist view of
the role of emperor. Precisely for this reason, to separate himself from
the people and his subjects (as he understood it) he decided to erect
this imposing building, which to this day remains a very important
historical heritage and a testimony to the great ability of the Romans
in the construction of buildings. The villa was built in three
successive phases from 121 to 137 AD. It is a real city, extended over
an area of about 300 hectares, in which the grandiose complex is divided
into four differently characterized nucleuses.
The use of the
Villa is confirmed up to at least the 3rd century as an imperial
residence: after the tumultuous years of military anarchy, the emperors
no longer settled in Rome for long periods, and it is probable that
Hadrian's Villa was in a state of abandon before of 476. The ruins of
the Villa were later plundered by the ruling class of papal Rome, even
if a historical interest in the area had already developed since the
early Renaissance.
The area that we now recognize as pertaining to the
villa certainly occupies about 120 hectares: it is a very vast extension
of land for a private complex, albeit an imperial one. However, it is
not certain that the current perimeter includes the entire surface of
the Hadrianic district.
After Hadrian's death, the villa
continued to be used, as shown by the brick stamps pertaining to
restorations in the 3rd century, but it was later gradually abandoned
and during the Middle Ages reduced to agricultural land, except for
being used as a quarry for valuable building materials ( marbles,
mosaics, decorations) for the houses of Tivoli, and as a reserve of
stone from which to extract lime.
The first to rename it, after
centuries, was the humanist Flavio Biondo in 1450, and about ten years
later it was visited and also mentioned by Pope Pius II Piccolomini.
Thus – from the end of the century – the interest of humanists, patrons,
popes, cardinals and nobles for the villa was animated. An interest that
was, undeniably, above all predatory: in search of statues and marbles,
excavations were made by Pope Alexander VI Borgia, then by Cardinal
Alessandro Farnese, then by Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este, for whom Pirro
Ligorio collected large quantities of materials intended for both the
villa of Tivoli and that of Rome.
The first topographical survey
of the villa, dated around 1560 and currently in the Windsor library, is
due to Ligorio. The rediscovered villa was frequented – both on behalf
of the rich clients and for their own inspiration and passion – also by
architects such as Antonio da Sangallo the Elder and Francesco
Borromini, and artists such as Piranesi[7]. From the 16th to the 19th
century excavations multiplied, even by the owners of the land who
insisted on the area of the villa, such as Count Fede or the Jesuits to
whom the Pecile area belonged, and the more than 300 major works found
(portraits, statues, herms, reliefs, sculptures, mosaics) were dispersed
throughout private collections and museums throughout Europe.
In
1870 the State bought the district from the Braschi family who were the
major owners of the land at the time (other parts, however, remained –
and still are – in private hands). Excavations and restorations were
undertaken, which brought to light the astonishing architecture of the
buildings and sometimes also the surviving stuccos and mosaics. The
searches continue, but the exploration of the site is far from complete.
Villa Adriana was declared a World Heritage Site in 1999, with this
motivation:
«Villa Adriana is a masterpiece that uniquely brings
together the highest forms of expression of the material cultures of the
ancient Mediterranean world. The study of the monuments that make up
Hadrian's Villa played a decisive role in the discovery of the elements
of classical architecture by Renaissance and Baroque architects. It also
profoundly influenced a large number of 19th and 20th century architects
and designers.
However, this recognition was questioned by the
UNESCO World Heritage Committee itself, due to building permits issued
by the Municipality of Tivoli in 2011. In 2013, the 36th annual meeting
of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee was held which deals with the
sites considered World Heritage Sites, in which Italy has been requested
to inform the committee of any development project in the buffer area
(buffer zone established with an international agreement between the
Italian Republic and UNESCO to protect the area archaeological). The
committee may propose the revocation of the World Heritage status
following the construction of some buildings in the buffer area as
approved in a 2011 resolution by the municipality of Tivoli.
The Pecìle is a reconstruction of the Stoà Pecile
(stoà poikìle, "painted porch") in the agora of Athens, the political
and cultural center of the city of Athens, the favorite of Hadrian
during his numerous travels.
The Pecile, an immense quadrangular
colonnaded square, decorated in the center by a basin and surrounded by
a portico, rose on mighty artificial constructions. Through a series of
thermal buildings one then reached the Canopus. The quarters of the
guards, administrative and service personnel overlooked the central
square.
This structure evokes an arm of the Nile river with
its delta, which connected the homonymous city of Canopus, site of a
famous temple dedicated to Serapis, with Alexandria, on the Nile delta.
The identification with the Canopum mentioned in the Historia Augusta is
due to Pirro Ligorio, a Neapolitan architect in the service of Ippolito
d'Este. JC Grenier, on the other hand, saw the symbolic re-enactment of
Hadrian's journey to Egypt, from which the emperor brought back numerous
materials and statues, and during which his famous Amasio Antinoo died.
An elegant colonnade ran around the canal-pool, with copies of
famous Greek statues, such as the statues of the caryatids, Roman copies
of those in the Erechtheion, which face the pool and not the visitors,
thus creating an enchanting reflection on the surface of the water.
The large exedra at the end of the basin presents the imperial
triclinium inside which is the stibadium, the triclinium bed; banquets
were held there, made spectacular by the water effects, the floating
shows and the jets that surrounded the diners. In reality, however, as
the stamps on the bricks seem to suggest, the construction of the
Canopus must be placed in a date prior to 132, the year of the emperor's
stay in Egypt. The building should rather be interpreted as an exotic
representation of a Nilotic environment, only vaguely reconnectable to
the Canopic branch on the river delta.
It was born from the remains of the Republican villa
inherited by his wife Vibia Sabina.
It was the main residence of
the villa being Hadrian's residence and his court.
To date not
much remains except a few columns and some remains of the structure.
It was a peripteral complex with a central rectangular
basin, which cut longitudinally the clearing of the gardens, on whose
southern side stands a grandiose building with an octagonal central plan
with a dome. The columns, arranged on a four-armed peristyle surrounded
by a portico, are made of cipollino marble and Egyptian granite. On the
east and west arms there are two long corridors (cryptoporticos). The
main building is accessed from the eastern one. Here the environments
draw concave and convex trends, making for a beautiful visual game. The
careful arrangement of the mixtilinear rooms allows you to see the
semicircular nymphaeum that closes the building.
Behind the
portico on the north side are the remains of the Casa Colonica, a
structure from a previous era, characterized by mosaic floors of modest
quality and intended for servants. In this wing of the villa the
imperial portraits of Vibia Sabina, Marcus Aurelius and Caracalla were
found. The richness of the rooms and the architectural equipment,
deduced from the high number of holes that supported the grappas from
which the marbles were hung, suggests the hypothesis that this area was
linked to the public functions of the building.
The maritime theater, definition assigned by the
moderns, is one of the first constructions of the villa, so much so that
it has been interpreted as the very first, temporary residence of
Hadrian on the site. Its characteristics of separateness make the
hypothesis that the place constituted the private part of the building
credible.
The structure, begun in 118, was built near the
republican villa. It is a very singular complex, on one floor, without
any relationship with the usual form of a Roman theater, consisting of a
pronaos of which nothing remains, while the threshold of the atrium and
traces of floor mosaics are recognizable. Inside it consists of a
circular vaulted portico with Ionic columns. The portico overlooks a
canal in the center of which stands a small island of 45 m in diameter,
also made up of an atrium and a portico aligned with the entrance, plus
a small garden, a minor thermal complex, some rooms and latrines. The
structure did not include any masonry bridge that connected the islet to
the outside world, and to access it it was necessary to stretch out a
short mobile bridge.
In line with the Canopus valley are the remains of two thermal
establishments known as Large and Small Baths due to their different
sizes.
The diversity of dimensions indicates that the
recipients must have been different: distinguished guests and the
imperial family for the Small Baths, decorated with great richness
and refinement, and staff in charge of the Villa for the Large
Baths.
Of the other buildings annexed to this complex,
consisting of a series of rooms, it is believed they were intended
to house the imperial guard (they are in fact called Praetorium) or
the staff of the Villa.
In 2003, along the access road to the Great Vestibule and in front of
the front of the Hundred Chambers, the remains of what will be
identified as a place of worship dedicated to Antinous, lover of the
emperor and deified by him after his premature death, came to light .
According to some sources, the young man would have drowned himself in
the Nile river to perform a magical rite that would have added up his
years lost in the sacrifice to the emperor's life; an improbable version
instead sees him thrown into the river to avert his candidacy as a
possible successor to Hadrian. The structure has the base of two facing
temples within a sacred enclosure with an exedra at the back. In the
centre, between the two temples, the base of the obelisk which has been
identified with the Obelisk of the Pincio. Dated to 134 AD. it is
thought that it was also the burial place of the god who loved Hadrian.
Inside the complex, fragments of black marble statues have been
found, relating to Egyptian deities or figures of priests which would
confirm that this was the place of worship of the god Osiris-Antinous.
The Sala dei Filosofi is the intermediate room between Piazza del Pecile and the Maritime Theater. This room was used for meetings with the most important politicians and was covered in red marble which recalled the power of the emperor, as documented by the imprints of the slabs on the bedding mortar along the walls and the holes for the support grappas. On the wall there were seven niches where probably seven philosophers or relatives were represented.
It was the place where the Roman soldiers stayed on guard duty. In
each room there is a different floor and 3 soldiers entered each room.
the room was furnished with a wardrobe and probably chests of drawers
placed on the sides of the walls. The floors were in mosaics and the
walls decorated with simple stuccos. A staircase led to the upper floor,
where other small rooms could be found.
Greek theatre
The CD.
greek theater is an open-air theater that has few remains of the steps
and the cavea. Originally it was supposed to be covered with marble. It
actually has the characteristics of a Roman theater, being circular and
not elliptical; it was intended for private performances.
The Academy is a complex of buildings outside the state-owned area and not open to visitors. The structures are owned by the Bulgarini family, who have lived there since the seventeenth century and grant access only to scholars. It has recently been the subject of surveys and studies which have ascertained the presence of underground tunnels for the passage of carts and servants. In 1630 the Barberini Candelabra were found there, now in the Vatican Museums. In 1736-1737 the statues of two Centaurs were found, the so-called. "old" and "young" of Aristeas and Papias, the Faun (or satyr) in red marble and the famous Mosaic of the Doves on the Basin, currently in the collections of the Capitoline Museums in Rome.
In the area of the "Palestra" an Egyptian sphinx was found in 2006 and in 2013 a statue of the god Horus in the form of a falcon. These recent discoveries, added to previous discoveries of a colossal bust of Isis and busts of Egyptian priests, have made it clear that the complex was dedicated to the cult of Egyptian deities.
The villa was equipped with a vast system of underground paths, intended for the servants, who could thus move from one room to another or bring supplies without disturbing the emperor's idleness or the leisure of the guests. Some of the streets were also passable with carts.
Between 1879 and 1934 the villa was served by the homonymous station
of the Rome-Tivoli tramway.
Since September 2016, Villa Adriana
has been united, in a single autonomous management, with the monumental
sites of Villa d'Este, the Sanctuary of Ercole Vincitore, the Mensa
Ponderaria and the Mausoleo dei Plauzi. The Institute has given itself
the name VILLAE, with which it alludes to the amenity and hospitality of
the territory on which it stands.