Villa d'Este - Tivoli - Italy Visitors Guide

The Villa d'Este is located in the Piazza Trento, Viale delle Centro Fontane, in the Italian region of Lazio, near the town of Tivoli, 34 km east of Rome on the S5 road. A Renaissance gem, the villa is perhaps the finest example of mannerist residences in Europe.

The Villa's gardens are a place one doesn't visit for the plantings, but rather one goes to be surprised by the clever application of Renaissance plumbing in the fountains and waterworks, and to marvel at how they are integrated with the landscape. There are something like 500 fountains here. Many statues, some of the stollen from nearby archaeological sites like Hadrian's Villa, complete the tableau.

Most tourists do the Villa d'Este and Hadrian's Villa as a day trip from Rome. By car, take the S5 out of Rome to Tivoli. The Villa d'Este is on the western side of town.

You can get a train on the Roma-Pescara Line from Rome's Tiburtina station to Tivoli. It takes about a half hour. Then you'll hop a shuttle bus to the town center and Villa d'Este.

Blue COTRAL buses leave the terminal at Rome's Ponte Mammolo stop on Metro line found for Tivoli every 15 minutes. It takes about an hour. There's a shuttle bus service from Tivoli main square to Hadrian's Villa. (Hadrian's Villa is not in Tivoli but on the plain below--a bus ride away)

Find Opening hours and other essential information from Villa d'Este, Tivoli Official Site.

The Villa d'Este was commissioned and built by Cardinal Ippolito d'Este, the son of Lucrezia Borgia and the grandson of Pope Alexander VI. Pirro Ligorio worked seventeen years designing the garden. Thomaso Chiruchi worded on the Hydrolics and Claude Venard, a Burgundian and a highly regarded manufacturer of hydraulic organs, also worked on the Villa d'Este's most spectacular achievement: the Fountain of the Hydraulic Organ (Fontana dell'Organo Idraulico). The good cardinal only desired a villa and garden worthy of "one of the wealthiest ecclesiastics of the sixteenth century"

The garden, like many other forms of art, is designed in a way to encourage exploration, stimulate imagination, and elicit suprise. It will.

You can explore here for hours, but remember that there are elevation changes that may make it strenuous to see everything.

Tourist office in Tivoli

The tourist office in Tivoli is located in the Piazza Garibaldi, close to the main bus stop and the Villa d'Este. You might be able to pick up maps and information even after closing.

Villa d'Este Pictures

For pictures, see our Villa d'Este Pictures.