VILLA D'ESTE - THE HIDDEN GARDEN

The Villa d'Este is a villa situated at Tivoli, near Rome, Italy. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 The villa features Renaissance architecture. It was commisioned by the grandson of Pope Alexander VI, Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este. The main entrance of the palatial villa leads to Appartamento Vechio ( Old Apartment) made for Ippolito d'Este.A private stair leads to the lower apartment(Appartamento Nobile) which had a direct access to the gravelled terraced and triumphal arc.

photography is not allowed here, but I managed to snap one because I'm not aware  of the rule not until the staff told me not to take photos.

stairs going to the lower portion of the villa

 

 

 

 

 

The impressive terraced garden is of Italian Renaissance design with lots of fountains.  Each fountains functions without using mechanical contrivances but instead uses the natural pressure and the communicating of tubes.

 

 

 

 

 

Among the gardens famous fountains are:
The Fontana dell'Ovato ("Oval Fountain") cascades from its egg-shaped basin into a pool set against a rustic nymphaeum.

 

Fontana del Bicchierrone ("Fountain of the Great Cup") loosely attributed to Bernini, where water issues from a seemingly natural rock into a scrolling shell-like cup.

top of the Fontana dell Bicchierrone

  The Rometta ("the little Rome") is an elaborate fountain complex depicting important statues of Rome. The boat represents the  Tiberina island, where the first group of the eternal city settled.

top view of Rometta

 

 

 

The Most Famous and visited fountains are:
Le Cento Fontane (The Hundred Fountains).is one of the most famous and most photographed fountain in the villa. It is  one hundred metres long linking the Fontana dell'Ovato and ROmetta. It is composed of one hundred fountains in different shapes like lilies, eagles, obeliskes and small boats.

 

 

 

Fontana Dei Draghi (Dragons Fountain) . The four winged dragon represents the coat of arms of the Pope's family, the Boncompagni. It is a hemicycle  formed by double circular stairs.It represents the eleventh effort of hercules who kills the one hundred heads dragonin order to get the gold apples from the garden of the Esperidi and give them to Euristeo

 

The Fontana di Nettuno(Neptune Fountain) probably is the most impressive among the fountains. It also features a waterfalls in the middle. In front of the fountain is the pescheria, three rectangular fishponds  at the lowest point of the gardens.

 

 

 

 

 

Fontana dell'Organo (Organ Fountain) . Its name was derived from the water mechanism device , Hydraulic organ, that produced organ sounds. 

The garden is laid out on  central axis with subsidiary cross-axes on a slope. To reach one fountain from another a series a stairs and walkways are located strategically in the garden.