Villa d'Este at Tivoli

For my last full day in Rome I decided to take the train for about an hour to Tivoli and see the Villa d'Este which is famous for its fountains.

Check out the headrests on the seats in the carriage. Each has a headrest on one side to lean your head against.

It was mostly flat all the way but eventually the train started to climb.

Stylish hovels. Somebody has to live there I suppose.

Train station.

At least there were sign posts showing the way to go.

The river becomes a waterfall a few hundred yards downstream. I got a glimpse of it from the train window but no photo.

Market day.

Lots of school children soon to be visiting the Villa.

Entrance to the ticket office.

And then you are into the Villa. It's famous for the fountains but the ceilings in the Villa are quite spectacular.

View from a window.

Looking out over the flat plain.

It is all a bit overwhelming but I presume that is the point of it all. At least it kept a bunch of artists busy for a while.

I was amused by the bloke on the lower right with the huge waddy.

It reminded me of the Birth of Venus by Botticelli.

Now that is a face. 

It was finally time to head outside to see the gardens and fountains.

I was surprised that the water was potable.

Initially you just see small fountains.

And then something larger.

And then in the distance, something quite large.

It is hypnotic watching the water.

Notice the water babbling down the channel in the railing.

The Grand Organ. Fortunately it was in operation after being closed down for repairs.

I love the way a face appears at the end.

Oranges and lemons. It is a garden, not just a collection of fountains.

View towards the sea in the distance.

I have managed to keep most of the school kids out off the photos but there were lots of them.

Interesting how they deliberately draped that curtain.

It is quite something.

By about lunch time the crowds started to thin out.

A 'stunned mullet' to use an Aussie phrase.

Seats are hard to find so it was good to sit down for a while and rest. As usual, I feel a lot fitter at the end of the trip than at the beginning, but a rest after climbing up a steep set of stairs is good.

Earlier in the day this was crowded. If you ever visit this place, come at lunch time.

It really was a great way to finish my time in Rome. When I returned to the bnb I went out for another chocolate gelato from Fattori. It really is fantastic.

And for classical music lovers, Claudio Arrau playing Liszt's Jeux d'eau a la Villa d'Este.