Villa Adriana Italy

Legendary

An impressive ancient Roman villa built by Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD.

Photo by Alexander Mooi

At the heart of his vast country estate, Emperor Hadrian had a small dwelling built on a little island. Water encircled the structure, and access was possible only by means of wooden bridges that could be swung aside.

Whenever he desired solitude, he shut himself away. It is now known as the Maritime Theatre.

Villa Adriana, or Hadrian's Villa, is located close to Tivoli, roughly 20 to 30 kilometers beyond Rome. Hadrian governed the Roman Empire from AD 117 to 138, and the crowded palace in the city did not suit him.

Accordingly, near the start of his reign, around AD 118, he began constructing a residence of his own. The project lasted about 20 years.

What emerged was less a single house than a miniature city. Over 30 buildings were distributed across roughly 120 hectares, and the grounds included baths, libraries, theaters, gardens, pools, and fountains.

Hadrian was fond of travel. He visited nearly every part of his empire and wanted the places he loved most brought back home.

To do that, he ordered replicas to be made. Among them were structures inspired by celebrated sites in Athens, a valley based on one in Greece, and a canal that evoked Egypt.

That canal is known as the Canopus. Its name comes from the town of Canopus in Egypt, which was linked to Alexandria by a canal.

In Hadrian's version, a long stretch of water, about 119 meters in length, is bordered by columns and copies of Greek statues. At the distant end there is a temple-like building, where the emperor hosted banquets and parties.

For extended periods, Hadrian administered the empire from this place. Hundreds of people lived and worked on the estate.

Following his death in 138, later emperors continued enlarging it, but over time it deteriorated. Marble, statues, and stone were removed by people.

The villa was found again in 1461. Renaissance and Baroque architects examined its remains and borrowed its ideas for their own works.

UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site in 1999.

If you walk the entire length of the Canopus, watch for the statues mirrored in the long pool. Go to the Maritime Theatre and look across the moat toward Hadrian's island retreat. Bring water and wear sturdy shoes, because the site is enormous and shade is scarce.

Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Turismo Roma, and Italia.it.