The
Hadrian’s Villa resides in Tivoli – a picturesque town 17 miles distant from Rome.
It was built in 117-128 AC by Roman Emperor Hadrian, involving a landscape of roughly 300 hectares, with the specific intent to become the imperial residence of the time.
Its complex of over 30 buildings includes: palaces, thermae, theatres, temples and libraries as well as rooms for courtiers, praetorians and slaves. Some of the major and more well preserved constructions being the “Pecile”, the "Maritime Theatre", The “Hospitalia” and the unchallenged “Canopus Serapeum”.
Hadrian was definitively a passionate aesthete; he indeed built the residence in a very peculiar way, full of innovations and anticipating various architectural styles – the circular holes on the apex of domes, for instance, were later on adopted in other constructions such as Pantheon and Villa Torlonia.
He also introduced the brand new concept of underneath passages network specifically committed to servants in order to avoid unpleasant circumstances such as having servitude walking around throughout the most exclusive areas of the residence.
In the 16th century large part of the marble and many statues of the Hadrian's villa were removed to decorate the nearby located Villa d'Este.
Posted by: Sarah in Transportation, Tours, Things to do, Rome, Must See, Monuments, Itineraries, Group Family Fun, Fun, Family, Colosseum, Christian, Catholic, Attractions on
Jun 12, 2009
Rome is a big city and rich of art and history at every corner, although you can easily walk all the top attractions in the city center of Rome it could be tiring after a while.
Bus Tours are a great way to explore the city in relax with an extensive hop-on hop-off itinerary through the heart of Rome. You can get off at any stop, take a walk of the area and then hop on the next bus at no additional cost for the validity of your ticket (1-2 days).
The buses are open top which allows you to enjoy full 360 degree panoramic views as you travel along your route.
This is a very family friendly service and is also a very good idea to jump start your vacation and get acquainted with the city, attractions, places and distances. Just have a tour, see what Rome has to offer, get off at your favourite place if you can't resist :) or take the whole loop and carefully choose your next top attraction to visit.
There are many different companies (up to 7) that operate very similar core routes around the Rome sights.
Although all tours are loops where you can start at any point, nearly all operators start at Termini Station the main central station of Rome, connected to both metro lines A and B.
Generally you have the choice of a 24 or 48 hours ticket with which to make use of the 12 to 20 stops in the most beautiful, cultural and evocative areas of the Eternal city. The tours operate 365 days per year.
Open Top Buses
All of the buses are open-top and equipped with a personalized throwaway audio system which functions more than 8 languages languages, providing recorded commentary throughout the tour. Ofter there is also an English and Italian speaking host onboard each bus to assist with any queries. You will be provided with a set of earphones which you keep and use for the duration of your ticket.
Itinerary
The itinerary usually goes from Termini Station passing the Colosseum and Roman Forum then Circus Maximus and along the River Tiber, where you can walk over to Trastevere. Then back again to the other end of the Roman Forum and then Piazza Venezia. From Piazza Venezia it stop along the way near the Piazza Navona and Pantheon and then straight to the Vatican crossing the River Tiber.
After the Vatican most buses will route through the Villa Borghese, Via Vittorio Veneto, Piazza Barberini, Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain. Then back to Termini. Check out the travel map for the specific bus operator of your choice for the detailed route.
Ticketing and Prices
Prices are between 15€ and 20€ for a 1-day ticket and between 23€ and 25€ for a 2-day ticket
Average time for a complete tour and about 2 hours total time departing about every 15-30 minutes usually between 9am to 6pm (last departure from Termini station)
Most operators offer a discounted fare for children aged 6 to 12 years old.
Major Rome Bus Tour Companies
A couple of them are more 'thematic' than the others and specifically:
- Roma Christiana in addition to the standard route has an extended tour that visits many Basilicas to the south of the city, Baths of Caracalla and is the only bus that visits Trastevere itself, even going up the hill behind Trastevere with great views down on the city.
- ArcheoBus goes through the centre of Rome and then along the famous Park of Via Appia Antica, and the Christian catacombs stopping at many of the major archaeological sites.
Enjoy your tour!
Posted by: Sarah in Rome, Must See, Attractions, Art on
Jun 6, 2009
Piazza del Campidoglio, or Capitol Hill, is one of the seven hills on which the legend says Rome was founded.
Located on top of the homonymous Capitoline Hill it is a precious Michelangelo’s architectural design.
The staircase, the interweaved ellipsis pavement, the Marco Aurelio’s antique bronze are some of the most well known attractions in Rome.
The Palace of Senate, situated in Piazza del Campidoglio, is as of today the representative seat of the Rome City hall. It was built in the early XII century on top of the remaining ruins of two ancient roman’s buildings (“Temple Veiove”- 196 b.c. erected in honor of an ancient Italian divinity - and “Tabularium” - 78 b.c. the ancient roman archive). It took part to the widest Michelangelo’s Project in the early XIII century and got renewed in 1561.
The Palace of Senate began holding the first city hall representation in 1143 becoming indeed the seat of the first 50 senators administrating the civil and penal lows.
One of the best example of modern architecture in Rome is, on my opinion, the Renzo Piano's "Auditorium Parco della Musica", a large multi-function public music complex.
Unfortunately, this wonderful construction is located out of the historic centre, in the north side of Rome, so tourists generally miss it.
Opened in 2002, Auditorium Parco della Musica combines architectural innovation with perfect acoustics. The complex is composed of three separate enormous bug-like halls whose forms are inspired by musical instruments. A fourth concert hall is the open air theater evoking Greco-Roman theaters.
The three large concert halls are structurally separated to assure soundproofing. Each one has a different dimension and purpose, but they are all characterized by an extreme versatility of the space: floor and ceiling can be moved to regulate the acoustic properties. Also the cherry-wood interiors guarantee an excellent sound.
The complex includes museums, a fantastic library, music studios, areas for exhibitions, cafes, restaurants, gardens and an archaeological site. Have a look to the events calendar: it hosts big international names in classical, rock, pop and world music.
Auditorium (http://www.auditorium.com ) is open daily from 10am to 6pm and the entrance is free! It is easy reachable by bus number 910 from Rome's train station (Stazione Termini). Ortherwise, if you're interested on any of the events, a shuttle bus M service departs from Stazione Termini every 15 minutes between 17:00 and the end of the last performance.
I encourage you to visit the Auditorium!! ....also for a good drink or meal at the charming "Red" cocktail lounge bar where you can absolutely spend a pleasant afternoon :)
Venice is a unique city and there is no other like it anywhere else in the world. It is built on 117 small Islands, 150 canals and 409 bridges. Venice is a city where you can walk very easily from historical site to another. Some of the best walks are the ones you do on your own, get lost within the narrow streets, find your way out again, this is the best part! Start in the area (Santa Croce). A location where you can soak up the authentic Venetian neighbourhood atmosphere and still close to the city’s main attractions. It's a very pleasant area to take an evening stroll! A lively square full of people and music where sometimes couples can dance in the middle of Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio Square. You must visit the Jewish quarter, Madonna dell'Orto Church and Gesuiti Church.
A highly pleasurable and recommended tip to get your curiosity running wild absorbing the incredible work of art this city's unique structures have to offer is to take a Vaporetto (public transportation small ferry) down the Canal Grande and pass under the Rialto Bridge. You will be looking at more than a hundred Venetian built style mansions along the way dating from the 12th to the 18th centuries including the Fondaco dei Turchi, Ca' Pesaro and the Ca' d'Oro – Venice’s most beautiful Gothic building. Get off the Vaporetto at any stop at your own leisure to explore it better on foot and get on again to the next interesting spot that catches your attention. Enjoy a walking along the non-tourist path.
When you have exhausted visiting Venice's beautiful churches and palaces, take a last stab at the elegant Piazza San Marco and the Bell Tower and the Clock Tower, you might have to wait a little bit in line, but it will be all worth it. Visit the Basilica containing St. Mark's tomb and incredible gold mosaics which was completed in 1094. Be prepared to wait a little bit in line but it will be worth it once you’re inside as it is one of the most magnificent cathedrals in Europe… walking along is the pink and white marble Doge Palace, where the elected Doges lived and governed the city.Visit also the Palazzo del Cinema where Venice's international film festival is held each September. At the end of the day, you will be a bit exhausted from the long and exciting day you had. Reward yourself in one of the city's local and cheerful restaurants tucked away in a side street. You’re in Venice therefore you must devote yourself to Italian’s most rich and famous dessert of mascarpone cheese, Marsala, sponge and chocolate called Tiramisu, which was invented here.
Also if you have time, try to witness Venetian glass-blowing, they show demonstrations sometimes
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