First created 28 Aug 2011. Version 1.0 - 1 Sep 2011. Jerry Tse. London.

Villa d’Este

All rights reserved. Rights belong to their respective owners. Available free for non-commercial and personal use.

A Renaissance Fountain Garden, Tivoli

Villa d’Este

The Villa d’Este is the most outstanding Renaissance fountain garden in the world. It Is an Unesco Heritage site. It is situated in Tivoli, just outside of Rome, about 40 minutes away on a bus ride.

The villa has 51 fountains, 368 spouts, 364 jets, 64 waterfalls and 220 basins. Water are fed by an intricate network of tunnels, canals and pipes, without a single pump!!!

View from the villa looking toward Rome, with the new Tivoli at the foothill.

Fountain Garden A view of Tivoli and the fountain garden from the villa.

The

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ard

Foun

tain

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Vill

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Villa Terrace The Gran Loggia.

Fountain of Rometta This symbolises the source of the River Tiber, with the allegorical figure of Appenines mountain in the grotto and the river god Aniene on the left.

Fountain of Rometta

Fountain of Rometta This is an allegorical fountain. The pool symbolises the River Tiber, hinted by the sculpture of the she-wolf and founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus.

Oval Fountain Birth of Venus.

Oval Fountain

Oval Fountain

Oval Fountain

Foun

tain

of P

egas

us

The Fish Ponds

Foun

tain

of t

he O

rgan

Foun

tain

of t

he O

rgan

With the water, the fountain organ can play a 4 minutes tune. It was restored recently .

Fountain of the Organ

Fountain of the Organ

Hundred Fountains There are over a hundred fountains spouts here. In summer the spays cool the air along the path.

Hundred Fountains

Hundred Fountains

Hundred Fountains

Fountain of the Dragons

Fountain of the Dragons

Fountain of the Dragons

Foun

tain

of t

he D

rago

ns

Fountain of the Owl The birds in the fountain sings.

The Garden

Diana of Ephesus

Foun

tain

of N

eptu

ne

Foun

tain

of N

eptu

ne

Fountain of Neptune

Foun

tain

of N

eptu

ne

Fountain of Neptune

Fish Ponds

Vill

a –

Hal

l of H

ercu

les

Vill

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l of N

obili

ty

Villa – Hall of Hunt

Vill

a –

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l of H

unt

His

tory

of t

he V

illa

A corridor around the entrance courtyard.

Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este, after the disappointment of a failed bid for the papacy, decided to build a fountain garden here in 1550. The garden was nearing completion at his death in 1572.

From 1605, Cardinal Alessandro d’Este repaired and extended the gardens.

Water from the river Aniene is used to feed the garden. The hydraulic facility was based on an understanding of ancient Roman technology and operates only by gravity alone.

Old Tivoli

Music – Handel’s Alla Hornpipe from his Water Music, 1717

All rights reserved. Rights belong to their respective owners. Available free for non-commercial and personal use.

The End