Hadrian never did anything by halves. Below the hill town of Tivoli, on the plain east of Rome, the emperor built himself a retreat that was less a villa than a private city: palaces, baths, libraries, theatres, gardens and long reflecting pools spread over more than a hundred hectares. Villa Adriana was constructed in the early second century AD, and Hadrian, a restless traveller and amateur architect, filled it with references to places he had seen, most famously the Canopus, a long pool lined with columns and statues meant to evoke the Egyptian canal of that name. Walking through the ruins today, among cypresses and olive trees, you get a sense of a man trying to bring the whole empire home.
The villa was plundered for centuries after the fall of Rome, its marble burned for lime and its statues carried off to collections across Europe. Even so, what survives is vast and astonishing: the Maritime Theatre, a circular island villa surrounded by a moat, the great baths with their collapsed vaults, and the Pecile, a huge colonnaded courtyard. The site is listed by UNESCO, as is the Renaissance Villa d'Este up the hill in Tivoli, with its fountains and terraced gardens.
The approach by motorcycle can be a mixed bag. Coming from Rome on the Via Tiburtina, traffic is heavy, the road is busy with lorries, and the suburbs sprawl a long way. But once you are out of the city and approaching Tivoli, the scenery improves, with the town perched on the slopes of the Monti Tiburtini above the plain and the Aniene river tumbling through it. The roads up into the hills behind Tivoli, toward Vicovaro and the Valle dell'Aniene, offer much better riding: winding, climbing and lined with olive groves, with views back over the Campagna.
The modern town of Villa Adriana, around the site, has fuel, cafés and shops, and Tivoli itself, a few minutes uphill, offers restaurants and bars in its old centre. Arrive early to beat the heat and the tour groups, give yourself at least two hours to wander the ruins, and wear something more comfortable than riding boots if you can. Afterward, a plate of pasta and a glass of local wine in Tivoli will round off the visit well.