We came here as an optional day trip on our Trafalgar tour. Our guide was very knowledgable about…read morethe villa and it's history. I simply can't imagine the obscene amount of wealth it must have taken to build this villa. The gardens and fountains are absolutely breathtaking. The fountains are gravity fed so that the farther down you go among the gardens, the higher the water sprays. Definitely worth the day trip as the villa is amazing and Tivoli is a great little town.

Gorgeous old villa and gardens with multiple beautiful fountains. If you like gardens, i think…read moreyou'll love this place, especially in the spring! You walk through the beautiful palace rooms first, then go down to the beautiful gardens below. Comments are available in both Italian and English. A couple of things to note: 1) there are drinking water fountains and clean, free restrooms (and a small cafe) at the site. 2) lots of walking and oodles of steps. 3) there's a cool outdoor water fountain organ that plays every couple of hours. 4) our mapping program gave us the wrong entrance info; if you are walking there, I suggest you double check with a local to make sure you are going the right way ( there are several gates, but all but the one entrance gate are closed). Be warned: There are 2 lines to get in. One (on the left) for those with pre-paid tickets, and another long line on the right side for those that need to buy their tickets there. If you've already bought your tickets online, go up to the front and ask the cashier if you can skip the line if you've already paid. We unnecessarily waited a long time on a very hot day because some random rude tour guide thought it would be funny to give us the wrong info that we had to wait in line even if we had a ticket already. Don't forget your camera; the photo ops are amazing!

Oh Hadrian. You egotistical little f#*^ stick! This is not a Villa, this is a giant vacation home…read morewith a spa built as a flex. Located in Tivoli, it's what happens when the most powerful man in the world decides he's tired of the city, craves a countryside retreat, and also wants to recreate the entire known world while he's at it. This spot means I saw this in Egypt and I want one; meets, I got a guy in Turkey; meets, let's throw in a library, several baths, temples, theaters, and enough gardens to make Versailles feel uncomfortable. Emperor Hadrian, the guy behind the project, fancied himself as an architect and travel influencer. Walking through the ruins, you get to see what's left of his vacation compound, crumbling columns, sunken pools, mysterious underground tunnels (because who doesn't want secret tunnels?), and just enough scattered mosaics to make you regret every bathroom tile you've ever installed. While you visit, pretend you are the emperor himself probably sipping wine and ignoring whatever empire-wide crisis was happening that week. Ask yourself this: How many fountains is too many fountains?

Hadrian's villa is a must-see, but be ready to walk because Hadrian created a private city for his…read moresummer getaways. His private swimming pool has an island with columns surrounding the enclave. It is worth the visit just to see it, but there is so much more with layers of history, mosaic floors, and even better, original statues kept on site in a museum from the lovely pool which wasn't uncovered until the 1950s so the best stuff didn't get carted away. I visited years ago and was happy to see on my recent visit that more items have been displayed and is just as fascinating the second time as the first.