Hadrian's Villa was by far the most amazing ruins that I've seen since i've been in Europe. I thought it was very cool how you could crawl through the ancient remains. In Rome, all of the ruins are so touristy that you can't really explore for yourself. One of the coolest parts of the Villa was the Maritime Theater. This was Emperor Hadrian's very own get away inside of the Villa. It was surrounded by a moat filled with fresh water, and a tall outer wall that gave even more privacy. Hadrians lair was comprised of bedrooms, a library, and numerous bathes. Hadrian loved poetry, art, and philosophy.It is thought that this is where he would go to relax and create art. The only way to get across the moat was by two draw bridges. Towards the end of Hadrian's rein as emperor of Rome, he spent much of his time at the Villa. Saying "It was more peaceful than any place he had visi
ted in Europe or in Rome" Many of the remains are still present, and it is very easy to formulate in your head what use to be located on this site. When you walk through the Forum in central Rome, it is not easy to get an idea of what use to be located there. Hadrian's Villa on the other hand is not like that at all. The area is surrounded by mountains and rolling hills. It was seriously one of the most beautiful places I had ever been in my life. I could have spent hours there just looking at the scenery. I can see why Hadrian chose this particular spot to build his summer retreat. Many of the pools in the villa can still be
seen. During the hay day of the site, waterfalls flowed from pool to pool in the 300 acre complex. The water was constantly circulated so that it was clean and fresh. The sound that this water would have made, must have been extremely relaxing. Towards the north end of the site was an area called the Canopus, which is still filled with water today. The far end of the structure use to house a shrine dedicated to the emperor Hadrian. From the top of the building a thin sheer of water use to flow over the ledge creating a sheet of water between the shrine and the outer pool. The sound that this water would have made would have been heard hundreds of feet away from the site. There are replicas of the statues that use to be placed along the pool. This
entire area used to be covered by a roof. It is not completely understood how this was accomplished. Architects have recreated two different ways this part of the villa use to be. In the picture below you can see the recreation of columns at the end of the pool. Further down the side, statues could have held up the roof. Either way, it would have been an extraordinary site to see. In the far ground of the picture is where the water would have spilled into the pool.
There was also a system of underground tunnels and canals that connected each building. In the heat of the day Hadrian and his people could get around the entire estate without ever walking outside.
There was a heating system that incorporated the sun, and fires located under the pools, which heated the water. There was a system of pipes that would allow hot or cold water to be added into the plumbing depending on the temperature that day. In ancient times, it was a modern day system of heated pools. Architects and scientists from all over the world marvel at this magnificent site. There are still many aspects of the site that we don't completely understand, and are unable to recreate. All of the models of Hadrians Villa are just ideas of what it used to be like. We cannot be sure how each structure was actually used.
On the opposite side of the site is the Piazza d'Oro, otherwise known as the golden square. This part of the villa housed an enormous garden, with pools and fountains. The picture above is what remains. It is thought that the structure in the far end of the picture was covered completely by a roof although architects still aren't sure how that would have been possible. The picture of the tunnel a little bit above, runs completely under the golden square, connecting the buildings on either side. There were canals in the tunnel that would have channeled water to the other side, with many drop offs. The water would have echoed through the tunnels making it sound like a babbling creek. There were numerous windows in the tunnel leading up to the gardens so the splashes from the water would have been heard throughout the square. To put this in perspective, the golden square would have been like a high class spa, with soothing sounds of trickling water. Hundreds of statues were uncovered in this part of the villa, so no doubt it would have been one of the most gorgeous sites in the entire complex.
(Information from; Eyewitness Travel Guide, www.wikipedia.com)
In Tivoli, we were waiting for the bus for over an hour. Finally we heard drums in the distance, and a heard of Roman soldiers and gladiators came marching down the street. Everyone was all decked out in costume. It was the strangest thing I've encountered. That is all
Another place that I want to visit before I leave Rome is the Centrale Montemartini museum. The building where the museum is in used to be an industrial power plant. It was actually Rome's first power plant, so the history isn't just in the art work on display there. There would be a ton of cool things to look at. The museum houses Roman statues and artifacts belonging to the Capitoline Museums. (eyewitness guide) I think it would be very cool to see Roman statues in an industrial setting. The contrast of a rugged power plant and white statues would be very interesting. (Image from www.wikipedia.com)
One of the things that I have yet to do is go to the top of St. Peter's. I've been meaning to do it ever since we visited the Vatican a couple weeks ago, but for some reason I have been putting it off. During one of my runs through the city, I ended up at the top Janiculum Hill. The view from up there was incredible. You could see the entire city. The amount of domes I saw was astonishing. I had no idea there were that many churches in Rome, it seems like every single blog has a cathedral. I imagine the view from the top of St. Peters will be even more picturesque because you will be able to see the whole city without trees getting in your way. I will definitely be making the trek to the Vatican before I leave for the best view in the city.
Last night after getting off the train from Tivoli, we took the metro the Circus Maximus stop. When I come up from the Roman underground, I looked up at the sky and I noticed that there was a neon blue glow in the direction of the Colosseum. Courtney and I, although we were exhausted from our trip, decided to walk to the colosseum and check it out. The first thing that we noticed were the plentiful booms of fireworks in the distance. There were also numerous brides getting pictures taken around the ancient stadium. When we got close enough, we realized that the exterior of the colosseum was lit up like normal. From the interior however, there were huge blue lights shining on the inside of the colosseum. It made the old structure seem very creepy. We had no idea why they did this, and everyone we asked either didn't know of couldn't speak English. Anyways, it was cool to see the colosseum in this glow. Yet again, my pictures were full of orbs. Very cool!
While I was in Tivoli, I noticed numerous advertisements for concerts in the Villa Adriana. I never put two and two together, and figured out that the posters meant Hadrian's Villa. While I was walking through Hadrian's Villa I noticed a stage set up in front of a large ruin. It then all made sense. The advertisements that I had seen throughout the city were for this venue. Right outside of Hadrian's Villa I saw a poster for a concert featuring a band named Paterno. Being the Penn Stater that I am I had to take a picture of this. Joe Pa would be proud!
When we got back to the train station in Tivoli at the top of the mountain. The sun was setting in the valley. You could seriously watch the sun fall. It went from being a complete circle to nothing in about 2 minutes. It was so beautiful. After the amazing day I had just had at Hadrian's Villa it seemed fitting to end with an gorgeous sunset. The trip to Tivoli might be the only time that I get out of Rome while in Italy. My mental image of Italy before getting here was exactly what I saw in Tivoli, rolling hills, and long valleys. I'm so glad I decided to visit Hadrian's Villa. From the beginning of the day until the end, my friend and I had no set plan. We just went with the flow on everything, and things couldn't have worked out perfectly. If you ever travel to Rome you have to visit this Tivoli, and surrounding ancient villas. It was an inspiring day.
Hadrian's Villa was by far the most amazing ruins that I've seen since i've been in Europe. I thought it was very cool how you could crawl through the ancient remains. In Rome, all of the ruins are so touristy that you can't really explore for yourself. One of the coolest parts of the Villa was the Maritime Theater. This was Emperor Hadrian's very own get away inside of the Villa. It was surrounded by a moat filled with fresh water, and a tall outer wall that gave even more privacy. Hadrians lair was comprised of bedrooms, a library, and numerous bathes. Hadrian loved poetry, art, and philosophy.It is thought that this is where he would go to relax and create art. The only way to get across the moat was by two draw bridges. Towards the end of Hadrian's rein as emperor of Rome, he spent much of his time at the Villa. Saying "It was more peaceful than any place he had visi
