The garden of a hundred fountains, masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance
In 1550 Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este, son of Lucrezia Borgia, became governor of Tivoli and transformed a Franciscan convent into a sumptuous villa. Its terraced garden, designed by Pirro Ligorio, descends the hillside in a triumph of water, a model for gardens throughout Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Hundreds of fountains, jets, pools and cascades are fed only by gravity, thanks to a system of canals that draws water from the Aniene river. Among the wonders are the Hundred Fountains, a long avenue of spouts covered with moss, the Fontana dell'Organo, a water organ that still plays music at set times, the Fountain of the Oval and the Fountain of Neptune, with its great cascade. The rooms of the villa are frescoed with mythological scenes.
Tip: check the times of the water organ performance; in summer the villa opens in the evening on certain days, with the fountains illuminated. Combine it with Villa Adriana, a few kilometres away.
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