Villa d'Este

Why go

Villa d'Este was built for Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este, who became governor of Tivoli in the middle of the 16th century, according to Rome's official tourism site, which describes a palace with frescoed rooms on two floors and a garden of monumental fountains, among them the Hundred Fountains and the Organ Fountain. The same site says Pirro Ligorio's design feeds the fountains from an underground water source by gravity alone, without mechanical devices. Italy's national tourism site says Villa d'Este became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. It is in Tivoli, not in Rome: XTOUR records Rome only as a base for reaching it, and Hadrian's Villa nearby is a separate place. The information site Rome's tourism office names for the villa could not be opened for this record, so entry rules are not given here.