Hadrian’s Villa: Roman Emperor’s Ancient Villa

Hadrian’s Villa (Villa Adriana) in Tivoli bears witness to the grandeur of the Roman Empire. It is one of the best-kept and most visited archaeological sites in Italy. Built by Roman Emperor Hadrian as a retreat from Rome between 117 and 138 AD, the villa was designed as an ideal city and incorporates the architectural traditions of Ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt. The remains of some 30 buildings extend over 120 hectares of the Tiburtine Hills, in Tivoli in the Lazio Region.

Hadrian’s Villa was designed as an ideal city and incorporates the architectural traditions of Ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt

The picturesque landscape around Tibur had made the area a popular choice for villas and rural retreats. It was reputed to have been popular with people from the Spanish peninsula who were residents of the city of Rome. This may have contributed to Hadrian’s choice of property: although born in Rome, his parents came from Spain and he may have become familiar with the area during his early life.

Hadrian’s Villa is a vast area of land with many pools, baths, fountains, and classical Greek and Roman architecture set in what would have been a mixture of landscaped gardens, wilderness areas, and cultivated farmlands. Due to Hadrian’s travels, he also commissioned Egyptian-style buildings and statues, even naming some of the buildings after Egyptian cities or temples.

Virtual Reconstruction of Hadrian’s Villa

It is a vast area of land with many pools, baths, fountains, and classical Greek and Roman architecture

Today, of the ancient pomp, it is possible to see only 40 hectares, which fortunately still attest to the magnificence and significance of this complex. Some parts were explicitly commissioned by Hadrian to represent the empire’s many provinces that he had visited himself: The Vestibule, The Canopus, The Maritime Theatre, The Pecile, The Great and Small Baths, The Greek Theatre, The Greek Library, and Latin Library.