Day 7 - Thur, Apr 25 - Tivoli Gardens

Simone picked us up at 4:00 p.m. and we headed east to the town of Tivoli, a lovely little place perched on the side of a hill. Our destination was the Tivoli Gardens, know more properly as Villa d’Este, a masterpiece of the Italian Garden, which is included in the UNESCO world heritage list. With its impressive concentration of fountains, nymphs, grottoes, plays of water, and music, it constitutes a much-copied model for European gardens in the mannerist and baroque styles.

The garden is generally considered within the larger –and altogether extraordinary-- context of Tivoli itself: its landscape, art and history which includes the important ruins of ancient villas such as the Villa Adriana, as well as a zone rich in caves and waterfalls displaying the unending battle between water and stone. The imposing constructions and the series of terraces above terraces bring to mind the hanging gardens of Babylon, one of the wonders of the ancient world. The addition of water-- including an aqueduct tunneling beneath the city -- evokes the engineering skill of the Romans themselves.

We enjoyed the gardens on a warm, clear, beautiful April night - such a joy for those of us from Ontario and Michigan! After a lovely tour, we had dinner - a loud, raucous dinner with lots of food and lots of wine. I suspect there will be more of these!!

We start our trek north tomorrow. First stop - a winery for a wine tasting session. Good thing we practised last night!!!Read more