Hadrian's Villa

Some of the most beautiful and intriguing Roman ruins are those of Hadrian’s Villa. The villa is located in Tivoli, Italy; about 18 miles from Rome itself. It is a complex of over 30 buildings, several of which remain standing to this day.

Hadrian’s Villa was constructed and opened in the second and third decades of the second century AD by Hadrian. Hadrian, a Roman emperor during the second century AD, is known for his building of the Hadrian Wall as well as for traveling to nearly every province of the Roman Empire. Hadrian initially constructed the villa as a retreat from the fast-paced everyday life of Rome because he disliked the palace on the Palentine hill. The 250 acres of the villa later became the center of Roman government under Hadrian’s rule and a large court lived there to serve as government with Hadrian.

When it was first built, the structure consisted of over 30 buildings, covering a spread of 250 beautiful acres of Roman countryside. The complex included several palaces, thermae (Roman bath houses), a theatre, temples, libraries (in both Greek and Latin), state rooms, and quarters for courtiers (members of the court), praetorians (bodyguards), and slaves. It featured elements of Roman, Greek, and Egyptian architecture.

Since the time of the Roman Empire, the structures have had their priceless statues and artwork removed for use in other buildings in addition to the rare building materials. It has also been robbed numerous times since the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Not much is known about what the villa actually looked like; however, excavations have led to the belief that the villa was decorated very beautifully.

The buildings have been restored over time. Today, the structures continue to deteriorate rapidly, but some areas are still well preserved, such as the pool and the artificial grotto. Much of the rest of the site has eroded and a great deal of the valuable artifacts have been removed; some of the valuable art and sculptures still remain in Rome and are housed today in the Vatican Museum. Further, the villa definitely has more than what meets the eye. It actually has an extensive underground tunnel network. The tunnels were used to by servants to transport goods without being seen by the residents because the roads above ground were reserved for distinguished individuals of society and residents of the villa.

When visiting Rome, everyone should visit the villa, as it is one of the most beautiful pieces of Roman architecture still in existence. Although much of the art and statues now are in other places, the value of learning more about Roman culture is definitely worth the trip. If you would like to see the art and sculptures, be sure to visit the Vatican Museum!

Works Cited
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrian%27s_Villa
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