Tivoli: Hadrian’s Villa And Villa D’este Half Day Private Tour

My spouse and I spent a fantastic day touring the ancient ruins of Hadrian’s Villa and the Stunning Villa and Gardens of Villa d’Este in Tivoli. We were met, early morning, at our hotel by Fabio (our guide for the day) and Adam (our driver who handled all our luggage and logistics). Our guide Fabio, an archeologist by training, spoke excellent English and was both extremely knowledgeable about the history of the Villas but also provided a very helpful primer & tutorial of the very impressive building and landscape architectural achievements at both sites. Fabio demonstrated deep expertise and passion for his subjects. While the scale and preservation of the almost two thousand year old ruins of Hadrian’s Villa were truly impressive, my spouse and I were even more captivated by the magnificent terraced gardens and numerous waterfalls at the Villa d’Este which were simply stunning. We could have spent the whole afternoon exploring the house and gardens. One note of caution that I would note is the steepness of the gardens at Villa d’Este requires you to be in reasonably good level of fitness to navigate the descent down into the gardens and back up to the Villa. At the end of the tour, we were dropped back to the train station in Rome for the next part of our trip (which was to Florence). It was an educational and most enjoyable day!

What a great day!!! Mohammed was an excellent guide. He is very knowledgeable and made this ruin come alive. And then we went to villa D’Este and we’re in awe over the fountains. This was a wonderful day.

We had booked the small-group tour of Hadrian's Villa and the Villa d'Este, with the maximum group size of six. It turned out that the three of us were the only people who booked the tour that day, so quite understandably they provided a sedan instead of a small van. My wife and I were traveling with our 16-year-old grandson, who is 6'5", so we felt a bit scrunched in the back seat. However, we were just grateful that the company honored the reservation. Our guide, Fabio, who rode in the front passenger seat, provided very interesting commentary on the way to and from Tivoli (about an hour's drive each way). The tour as described promised services of a local guide on for three hours in Tivoli, so being able to converse with Fabio for all five hours was a real bonus. He was a superb guide. His English was excellent and his training as an archeologist shone through, especially at Hadrian's Villa, a vast and magnificent site well worth seeing. We went on a brilliant very warm Friday (temps in low 90s), and were virtually the only people on the grounds–an amazing experience. Covering the grounds requires quite a bit of strenuous walking (especially the uphill hike at the beginning), so seniors and those with health issues ought to be advised. The Villa d'Este was a real thrill for me, being a fan of the music of Franz Liszt. Liszt spent a good part of his later years at the Villa, and wrote some very innovative piano pieces inspired by its cypresses and incredible fountains. I had had no idea just how grandiose and beautiful the Villa is, and was just bowled over. Fabio took us through the villa, the gardens, and the vast and varied fountains providing fascinating background information. Again, there were just a few visitors besides us. After the Villa, we enjoyed gelato before heading back to town (even though we were running a bit late). This tour exceeded my wildest expectations, and was indeed one of the top experiences of our visit to Rome. (Hadrian's Villa was our grandson's absolute favorite.)

Very punctual and polite driver, enthusiastic guide who provided lots of information and interesting facts, beautiful villas. A wonderful trip.

Lifelike and awesome. Took my breath away! Traveled in September 1988 and will never forget this tour that I took on my own. I was staying in Rome, at the time, and this only added to my enjoyment of Italy. This was in September of 1988.