Ancient OstiaAncient Ostia was the port of the Empire just 30 minutes from Rome. It's after Pompei and Hercolaneum, the best preserved roman town in Italy and it shows traces of ancient everyday life. The ruins are set in a beautiful park of umbrella pines and cypresses. The town was founded, according to legend, in the 6th century BC by the forth king of Rome and its name derives from the Latin word Ostium, river mouth, of it was here the end of Tiber River to the sea.
Town was perfectly preserved by the silt of the River’s floods and it preserves intact a Theater, the main square, with several ancient shops, baths used as spa in ancient times, Firemen Barracks, etc.. |
Villa D'ESTETivoli a town east of Rome is famous for the unique gardens of Villa D’Este the beautiful residence of Ippolito D’este a cardinal and patrons of arts son of Lucrezia Borgia and Dike Ercole I of Ferrara. This cultured and refined man created in 1550 perhaps the most fantastically worldly gardens. The Villa was designed by Pirro Ligorio and decorated by 1500s artists It is entirely upstaged by gardens among palms and cypresses, water shoots and cascades. Additions and restorations were carried out in the 17th century in part by Bernini. The top floor of the Villa was the Italian home of the musician Franz Liszt who lived here in 1880s.
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Villa AdrianaAbout 5 km below the town of Tivoli beyond a beautiful olive grove on the hillside, is Hadrians’ 180 acre Villa, the largest ever built in the entire Roman Empire. The great Emperor Hadrian made all of marble and travertine and this residence was the same size of monumental center of Rome. Here the emperor wanted to remember famous buildings he had seen during his travels making reproductions of the main square in Athens, the Stoa Poikile, or the Temple of Serapes near Alexandria in Egypt with a canal which was even reproducing the Nile and which was flanked by Egyptian statues. He also created innovative structures such as the little circular palace on an island in an artificial lagoon, maybe his private retreat, or the underground a subway used by slaves and servants on chariots which runs under the whole property.
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