A picturesque escape

A day trip to the quaint hilltown of Tivoli is a great outdoor tour for families with children where you can have lunch outside the city of Rome and taste homemade wine, olive oil, and the traditional food of the Roman countryside. The tour of Tivoli, a beautiful little town tucked away in the Monti Tiburtini hills, consists of two major parts - a visit to the Villa d'Este, and a tour of Villa Adriana - or Hadrian's Villa. You can also request to partake in some of the traditional sightseeing of the town and spectacular views of the Roman countryside.

The Villa d'Este boasts one of the most beautiful gardens in all of Europe. The villa is an especially entertaining locale for children as they can play in the water of some of the magnificent fountains - several of which were created by Bernini - on this expansive property. Many mythological statues and ornate grottoes decorate the grounds of this heavenly garden, which was a popular model for other European gardens in the Baroque period. Within the Villa, which was built over a Benedictine convent, you will enter the reception rooms bathed in decorative frescos.

We will then visit Villa Adriana ('Hadrian's Villa'), which is more like a small city all its own where thousands of people worked and lived under the emperor. Hadrian's Villa is one of the most beautiful villas in Italy. During the 2nd century AD during his reign, Hadrian moved the capital of the Roman Empire from the Imperial Forum to his Villa.

Outdoors on this gorgeous property, walk through the ethereal gardens and the emperor's lake and statuary. The villa also boasts fountains, libraries, baths, palaces, and temples. Here you will see the glorious Canopus, a colonnade consisting of a series of pillars and arches over Greek-style sculptures which surround a long lake. At one end of the lake, protruding from the hillside, stands the Temple of Serapis.

Perhaps the most famous building of the villa is the Maritime Theatre, adjacent to the inferior terrace. You will see the magical curved Ionic portico in front of the building in front of which a moat that surrounds a small island. As legend has it, the theatre was designed by Hadrian himself as a place to relax in peace.

Both Villa d'Este and Villa Adriana have the prestigious status as treasures of the world organization UNESCO. A day trip to Tivoli is an unforgettable experience of art and beauty you will share with your loved ones, a perfect supplement to your visit to Rome.