The story of this place
Between about AD 118 and 138, the cultured, restless emperor Hadrian built himself the grandest villa of antiquity at Tivoli—a sprawling complex of over 120 hectares with palaces, baths, theatres, libraries, and pools. A widely travelled ruler, Hadrian recreated buildings and landscapes that had impressed him across the empire, including the 'Canopus,' a long reflecting pool evoking an Egyptian sanctuary lined with statues and a curved colonnade. The 'Maritime Theatre' was a private island retreat ringed by a moat where the emperor could withdraw entirely. After his death the villa was slowly abandoned and plundered for centuries; Renaissance and later collectors carried off hundreds of statues now in museums worldwide. Its ruins still convey the scale of imperial ambition.