The Villa d'Este in Tivoli, with its palace and garden, is one of the most remarkable and comprehensive illustrations of Renaissance culture at its most refined. Its innovative design along with the architectural components in the garden (fountains, ornamental basins, etc.) make this a unique example of an Italian 16th-century garden. The Villa d'Este, one of the first giardini delle meraviglie , was an early model for the development of European gardens - http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1025
Here's a tip - if you plan on going to Villa d'Este, don't follow your Google Maps navigation instructions. Or perhaps they've updated them by now. We had a frustrating time of being told to drive around in circles before finally finding the rather unassuming entrance to these grand gardens. Anyway, once we got in, our annoyance was soon forgotten. Romans sure didn't do things by halves:
What's even more impressive is that all of this was accomplished without the use of electrical pumps. All in all, it's a lovely spot for a romantic stroll, though we did find some rather bizarre things in the complex as well.
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| A really ugly fountain |
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| Public warning against not wearing bras? I won't even mention the hooves... |
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| This could be handy if you had many children? |
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| There were in fact several UNESCO signs - this had both logos |
[
Flickr set here]
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