6 interesting facts about Tivoli, the Otium and the Garden

Reading time: 2 min

Tempo di lettura: 2 minuti

 

1. Tivoli, the Beverly Hills of two thousand years ago.

Picture a city nestled on a lush hill, traversed by a consular road connecting the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Adriatic. It is graced with a mostly navigable river, which at one point cascades into a stunning waterfall. Impressive aqueducts, breathtaking views, thermal baths with “sanctissimae” sulfurous waters,travertine and tufa quarries. Additionally, immagine a grand Sanctuary dedicated to Hercules Victor, protector of the city and commerce. All conveniently located just a short distance away from Rome!

No wonder that the elite of ancient Rome would compete to acquire land to build grand villas, especially if those plots already had rustic villas that could be expanded and transformed. They sought to indulge in the art of leisure, or OTIUM. During the late 2nd century BC to the 3rd century AD, the ancient city of Tibur, the Sabina, and later the Aniene Valley emerged as favorite getaways for powerful politicians, poets, renowned lovers, and influential figures in history such as Caesar, Augustus, Nero, Trajan, and Hadrian. If you could travel back in time, you would find that the luxurious villas of today’s celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez would be considered small guest houses in comparison! Explore one or more of these tour!

2. Looking down from high above

According to the Romans, the key factor when choosing the location to build a villa was its position, which had to be dominant. Juvenal wrote in his XIV Satire: “Cretonius was given to building; (...) now on the heights of Tibur, now on the Praenestine hills, he would REAR lofty mansions, with marbles fetched from Greece and distant lands, outdoing the temples of Fortune and of Hercules”. The view from the villa must have given the owner the sense of exerting a kind of control over the landscape below. The perspective from above is that of the gods, who look down upon the concerns of mortals with detachment. This same detachment likely mirrored the feelings of the Tiburtine villas owners as they took in the stunning vistas of the world below.

 

Many of the Otium Villas in the Tiburtine area were located along the modern-day Via di Pomata, offering panoramic views of both the Roman countryside and the city of Rome. Enjoy a walk or rent an e-bike, bring your picnic, and take a break at the fountain for a refreshing drink. You will feel in heaven!

 

3. The Roman Gardens: Pieces of Paradise & Status Symbol

Did you know that the word “paradise” comes from the Persian term “pairidaez”, meaning garden? The Garden has always been a PLACE where imagination and reality intertwine and are reflected in one another. Through the conquests of the East and the influence of Hellenistic culture, the Romans developed their own concept of garden, which was so significant that it became a Status Symbol. In Imperial Rome, the green spaces covered an area of approximately 450 hectares, equivalent to a quarter of the total land within the city walls. The Villa of Emperor Hadrian in Tivoli is, by all means, the epitome of garden art!

 

In the 16th century, the architect Pirro Ligorio, with his vast knowledge and talent, recreated the “paradise/garden” for Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este. Visit the villas with our expert local guides.

4. Ars Topiaria, between illusion and reality.

When it comes to the Ars Topiaria, many people may immediately think of the practice of shaping hedges into specific forms. However, this interpretation is only a small part of what it truly meant to the ancient Romans! The Ars Topiaria allowed for the creation of gardens that reproduced the landscapes depicted in paintings, recreating the idyllic vision of the countryside as seen through the eyes of poets and painters. The topiaries, mythological creatures that were half gardeners and half landscape architects, brought this vision to life!

The Roman topiaries were experts in creating realistic set designs or places (topia) evoking myths through nymphaea, artificial caves, pools of water, and fountains. These were the backgrounds for isolated statues or meticulously arranged sculptural groups, all framed by carefully chosen vegetation. Everything was accurately planned and executed. There was no clear distinction between Artifice and Reality in these collaborative efforts of painters, poets, and gardeners, who worked together to create illusions both inside and outside the Villa walls through landscape and garden scenes that told myths.

 

 

5. Plants, flowers and trees in the Roman garden.

Imagine strolling through the picturesque garden of an Otium villa, surrounded by avenues lined with boxwood, myrtle, rosemary, and small groves of laurel, viburnum, mastic and strawberry trees. The gardens also featured vine pergolas and walls covered in ivy and periwinkle. The flowerbeds were filled with acanthus, hyacinths, lilies, daffodils, violets, irises, anemones, and many varieties of roses. There were also broom, oleander, yew and rhododendron shrubs. And for shade, there were trees such as the Platanus Orientalis imported from Greece and considered a luxury, different from the common American plane trees seen in cities today, which are the result of 18th-century hybridization. Additionally, there were maples, pines, palms, hackberries, oaks, poplars, and cypresses.

Cypress wood was highly valued in ancient Rome. According to Pliny the Elder, a specific pruning technique was used to shape the cypress into a green hedge. He also believed that the tree originated from Crete before making its way to Italy. As Ovid tells in his Metamorphoses, Cyparissus was a young hunter from the island of Kea who accidentally killed his dear friend, a deer. Overwhelmed with grief, the boy caught the sympathy of Apollo, who transformed him into a thousand-year-old cypress tree, providing eternal comfort to the deceased. As you explore the Roman gardens, it is easy to come across such myths. The cypresses of Villa Adriana and Villa d’Este are a testament to this.

 

6. The garden furniture of Hadrian’s Villa

Recently reopened to visitors, the small Antiquarium within Villa Adriana (Mouseia) holds many unique treasures. One of the most striking are the delicately carved marble steles featuring plant and animal motifs, which were originally part of the grand garden’s furnishings. These items are crucial in piecing together the appearance of the Villa during Hadrian’s reign. The Mouseia also feature intricate carvings of animals such as lizards, cicadas, crickets, snails, squirrels and mice, nestled among vine shoots, ivy, oak and olive branches. Musical instruments associated with the worship of forest gods can be seen hanging from the trees, alongside expertly crafted baskets. A snake is peeking out from one of these, threatening the nests of birds. Birds are depicted in various roles, both as prey and hunters, as in the case of the bee-eater. Even the snake is not safe from the raptor! Join one of our guided tours to explore the Villa and discover more!