Villa d'Este

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.

A really ugly fountain

Public warning against not wearing bras? I won't even mention the hooves...

This could be handy if you had many children?

There were in fact several UNESCO signs - this had both logos

[Flickr set here]

Villa Adriana

The Villa Adriana (at Tivoli, near Rome) is an exceptional complex of classical buildings created in the 2nd century A.D. by the Roman emperor Hadrian. It combines the best elements of the architectural heritage of Egypt, Greece and Rome in the form of an 'ideal city' - http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/907

What is this, a Roman Villa for ants?!

I first found out about Villa Adriana from Kevin McCloud's Grand Tour, when the Grand Designs presenter retraced the steps of architects and artists from the 17th to 19th centuries. For Kiwis, the word 'villa' is rather deceptive when it comes to describing this place, as it's actually a complex of about 30 buildings covering over a square kilometre - as opposed to a single, uninsulated Grey Lynn house. In its heyday, Villa Adriana could've been featured in an epic episode of Cribs that would put any rapper to shame.

From the mosaic tiled floors to the detailed, anti-earthquake brickwork, there are some very well preserved examples of classical architecture here, so it was pretty surprising to see how empty this place was (compared to Rome, anyway).

The highlight is definitely the Maritime Theatre, which was really Hadrian's private apartment within his own palace, complete with a moat, though the drawbridge no longer exists. Ah, the perks of being an emperor.

[Flickr set here]