Tour Description
Live a unique experience
Visit the historic vacation homes of the Roman elite on a Rome to Tivoli day trip. The full-day guided excursion includes tours of Tivoli’s two UNESCO listed sites:
Hadrian’s Villa and Villa d’Este. Hear Renaissance and Ancient Roman history, admire archaeological ruins and explore some of Italy’s most famous private gardens. We’ll pick you up at your hotel and from there we’ll reach Tivoli by car or van (1 hour drive). First, we’ll have a tour of Hadrian’s Villa, a unique archaeological site, one of the most important and most beautiful in the world.
Then, after a break for lunch, we’ll wander though the marvelous gardens of Villa d’Este, getting refreshed by the water from the hundreds of fountains that decorate this amazing Renaissance Villa.
Finally, you’ll be taken back to your hotel.
This tour is not available on Mondays because Villa d’Este is closed.
RATES
Special price for couple. Ask us today!
From your location in Rome: Hotel, B&B, Other
9:00 AM
Travel from Rome to Tivoli by air-conditioned minivan to start your day trip. As you travel, listen to your guide’s commentary about Tivoli, a historic town in the Monti Tiburtini hills. A prestigious vacation spot in the days of Ancient Rome, the town is now popular for its two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Hadrian’s Villa and Villa d’Este.
Your first stop in Tivoli is at Hadrian’s Villa for a walking tour. Hear how the villa belonged to Emperor Hadrian who desired an unassuming vacation home with tributes to his lover. By modern standards, his ‘humble abode’ could be considered a town in its own right. The ruins of the emperor’s impressive estate consist of more than 30 buildings, and you’ll see the highlights as you explore. Discover the complex ruins of the old imperial palace as well as thermal baths, temples, libraries and subterranean passages that were wide enough for charriots.
Enjoy a deligthtful lunch in an exclusive restaurant with the view over a roman temple. Then continue to Villa d’Este: a gorgeous Renaissance villa famous worldwide for its gardens and fountains. It was built in the 15 hundreds by Cardinal Ippolito,the son of Lucretia Borgia, a noblewoman who attracted drama and gossip wherever she went. It is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. The cardinal wanted not only to have a great palace, but also to have the most beautiful garden ever! There’s no other place where architecture, nature and water mix in such a marvelous way. Make your way past the Fountain of Neptune, and wander through the gardens to see waterfalls, fountains and centenary trees.
Leave Villa d’Este after your tour, and then relax on your journey back to Rome.
