Frommer's Review :
In the 2nd century A.D., the globe-trotting Hadrian spent the last 3 years of his life in grand style. Less than 6.5km (4 miles) from Tivoli, he built one of the greatest estates ever erected, and he filled acre after acre with some of the architectural wonders he'd seen on his many travels. Perhaps as a preview of what he envisioned in store for himself, the emperor even created a representation of hell. Hadrian was a patron of the arts, a lover of beauty, and even something of an architect. He directed the staggering feat of building much more than a villa: It was a self-contained world for a vast royal entourage and the hundreds of servants and guards they required to protect them, feed them, bathe them, and satisfy their libidos.
Hadrian erected theaters, baths, temples, fountains, gardens, and canals bordered with statuary throughout his estate. He filled the palaces and temples with sculpture, some of which now rest in the museums of Rome. In later centuries, barbarians, popes, and cardinals, as well as anyone who needed a slab of marble, carted off much that made the villa so spectacular. But enough of the fragmented ruins remain for us to piece together the story. For a glimpse of what the villa used to be, see the plastic reconstruction at the entrance.
Hadrian's Villa (Villa Adriana)
Hours: Daily 9am-sunset (about 3:30pm). Closed Christmas.
Location: Via di Villa Adriana
Transportation, Bus: 4 or 4X from Tivoli
Admission: 6.50� ($7.50)