This picture is a great example of the type of bus on which we ride. Our group is 26 people with Donato and the bus driver. With this bus almost all of us had a seat to ourselves. This was true for our entire except in and out of Positano...the roads there are just not large enough. By the way...this is the same size bus that we had on the other five Rick Steve's trips we've taken.
Our Tour Bus
PART 1 - HADRIAN`S VILLA - INTRODUCTION AND ENTRY TO THE GROUNDS
Donato giving a per-tour prep talk Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
Overlooking the model Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
Close-up of the Model Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
Just inside (Pecile Wall) Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
Donato was our guide at Hardian`s Villa. Hadrian`s Villa is one of four sites we were to see on our trip to southern Italy. It`s a great representation of Roman architecture and the configuration of a royal compound from the first century AD.
There is a very well built model (the second and third pictures) of the grounds which gives you a good sense of the size and original look of the building and the surrounding flora.
The final picture is just inside the wall which was originally part of the Pecile (a large artificial terrace). It gave us an immediate sense of the size of the Villa.
PART 2 - HADRIAN`S VILLA - CANOPUS AND SERAPEUM
Looking down the Reflecting Pool Canopus Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
Close-Up West end of the Canopus Canopus Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
Nice Buns Canopus Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
Serapeum Alter Canopus Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
Serapeum (temple to the syncretic Hellenistic-Egyptian god Serapis) Canopus Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
From Wikipedia: One of the most striking and best preserved parts of the Villa are a pool and an artificial grotto which were named Canopus and Serapeum, respectively. Canopus was an Egyptian city where a temple was dedicated to the god Serapis. However, the architecture is Greek influenced (typical in Roman architecture of the High and Late Empire) as seen in the Corinthian columns and the copies of famous Greek statues that surround the pool. One anecdote involves the Serapeum and its peculiarly-shaped dome. A prominent architect of the day, Apollodorus of Damascus, dismisses Hadrian's designs, comparing the dome on Serapeum to a "pumpkin". The full quote is "Go away and draw your pumpkins. You know nothing about these [architectural] matters."
PART 3 - HADRIAN`S VILLA - GREAT BATHS
Close-up Old versus New Great Baths Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
South Walls Great Baths Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
Approaching the Grand Thermae Great Baths Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
Group listens as Donato tells us about the baths Great Baths Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
Artist`s concept of the bath Great Baths Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
A great look back Great Baths Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
Before getting into the info on the baths take a look at the first picture above. Notice that the pillar is clearly a different type of materials. The column of light brick is new materials used to patch the structure to keep it from crumbling. We saw this at all the ancient sites we visited. In fact at Ostia Antica they identify the patches with the date so future generations will not only recognize the patches but know when they were made.
There are actually two baths at the villa, i.e., the Great Bath (the secondary structure) and the Small Bath (more intimate and elaborate). There is a lot of guessing going on with the purpose of the two. Some think it was men in the Great bath and Woman in the Small bath. Others think they were divided on the basis of class distinctions. The only thing everyone seems to agree with is that the baths were of importance to the villa (as demonstrated by the centralized location).
The baths were elaborate. Dressing rooms, steam rooms and of course the baths themselves. Bathing was not just to clean. It was much more a social encounter that took hours. The final picture is NOT one I took. I found it on a site where I was gathering "bath" info and just had to steal it. It opened my eyes to how beautiful the baths actually were compared to ruins we saw.
PART 4 - PIAZZO D`ORO (GOLDEN SQUARE)
Looking North East across the front of the Vestibule Golden Square (Plaza D`ORO) Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
Vestibule on the North West End Golden Square (Plaza D`ORO) Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
Taken from the display placard on-site: The complex is so called on account of the richness and amount of archeological finds discovered here in the course of the researches carried out from the 16th century onward. The building consists of a peristyle that is an uncovered rectangular colonnaded court with a long basin at the centre flanked by two hedges. Through the eastern corridor a big niche flanked by two corridors looked onto a basin that dominated the Valley of Tempe. An articulate peristyle opens onto the south side of the piazza. Nymphaeums (water nymph fountains) are placed in the walls covered walls... The highly evocative play of water gushing from the monumental nymphaeum, running along the central basin and supplying the fountains in the garden, then disappearing underground before reaching the Vestibule... The sound and scenic effects deriving from such an installation must have made the stay especially pleasant.
PART 5 - IMPERIAL PALACE
Near the Nymphaeum looking South West Imperial Residence Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
Inside the Nymphaeum Imperial Residence Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
Floor Tiles still remaining Imperial Residence Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
From a website describing the Palace: The complex identified as the IMPERIAL RESIDENCE of Hadrian's Villa had a central position within its plan. It consisted of a series of buildings tightly connected one to the other. Each one had its own meaning and function.
The idea that these buildings belonged to one monumental complex is supported by several elements: their symmetry, the way they were linked together (fig. 1), the access paths and the check-points which provided security and privacy to the Emperor.
Of special note are the tiles that are still in place. It's an extremely tiny example of how the villa was decorated (review the artist's concept drawing above). It must have been impressive.
PART 6 - MARATIME THEATRE
Maritime Theatre from the Palace Maratime Theatre Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
Picture shot through tarps hidding the construction Maratime Theatre Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
Diagram of the area Maratime Theatre Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
A final shot through the barrier Maratime Theatre Hadrian`s Villa, Tivoli
The final group of pictures is for the Maratime Theatre which we didn't get to visit. At the time we were at the Villa, the Theatre was under restoration. My pictures were all taken through the construction barriers. It should be noted (from other pictures we've seen) that the Theatre is one of the most impressive areas to visit...oh well.
