Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este, son of Lucrezia Borgia, had expected to become pope. When that did not happen, he was made governor of Tivoli and consoled himself by turning an old Benedictine convent on the hillside into a villa with a garden that would astonish Europe. Built in the sixteenth century, the Villa d'Este is a hillside of terraces, stairs and fountains, all fed by gravity from the river Aniene: the Hundred Fountains, a long wall of spouting masks and eagles, the Fountain of the Organ, which plays music driven by water, and the Oval Fountain, with its cascade falling into a pool. The villa and its gardens are a World Heritage Site.
Tivoli sits on the slopes of the Monti Tiburtini, east of Rome, above the plain of the Aniene, and it has been a resort since Roman times. Below the town, the Villa Adriana, the vast country palace of the emperor Hadrian, is another World Heritage Site, with ruins of pools, theatres, baths and libraries spread over a huge area. The Villa Gregoriana, with its gorge and waterfalls, is another sight in town.
Riding from Rome to Tivoli on the Via Tiburtina is slow and busy, with traffic and lights, but the climb into the hills beyond Tivoli is more rewarding. The roads into the Monti Simbruini and toward Subiaco, where Saint Benedict founded his first monasteries, twist through valleys and mountains, with good surfaces and views. The Valle dell'Aniene is especially lovely.
Tivoli has petrol stations on its approach roads and no shortage of trattorias. In the town's restaurants, try pasta all'amatriciana or cacio e pepe, and the local wines from the hills. The Villa d'Este is busy, especially on weekends, and the gardens are at their best in spring and early summer, when the fountains sparkle in the sunshine. Parking near the villa can be tight, so arrive early.