Day Trip from Rome: Traipsing Around Tivoli

I took a day tour from Rome of Hadrian's Villa and Villa D'Este in Tivoli, checking off two more UNESCO sites. I was at the end of a 5 week trip through Greece and Italy and decided a day tour that handled all the transportation sounded like the perfect plan.

Tivoli is a commune of the metropolitan area of Rome, located strategically on the River Aniene. It was founded about 600 years before Roman times and became especially important during the reign of Emperor Hadrian. During the Middle Ages, Tivoli was controlled by the Papal States and was fortified with a wall. During the Renaissance, Villa d'Este was built and Tivoli continued to prosper. Today, its economy is based mainly in tourism and its quarries.

Hadrian's Villa is another archeological site that was buried by a volcanic blast. Much of the site is still unexcavated.

Hadrian enjoyed his summer home... he only ruled for about 20 years, so he accomplished a lot in his short reign.