Villa d'Este

Villa d'Este has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001 and is renowned as an Italian garden masterpiece. It features an exceptional array of fountains, nymphaea, grottoes, water features, and sound effects.

Following his disappointment in not being elected Pope, Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este created this villa to revive the splendour of the courts of Ferrara, Rome, and Fontainebleau, echoing the magnificence of Villa Adriana.

As Governor of Tivoli from 1550, the Cardinal envisioned a garden on the slopes of the valley known as Valle Gaudente. However, it was only after 1560 that the villa's architectural and iconological programme was defined by painter-archaeologist-architect Pirro Ligorio and executed by court architect Alberto Galvani. The palace was decorated by the leading exponents of late Roman Mannerism.

By the time Ippolito d'Este passed away in 1572, the villa was almost completed. Although the 17th century saw further interventions, a period of decline followed until Cardinal Gustav Adolf von Hohenlohe rejuvenated the property, even welcoming the musician Franz Liszt (1811-1886).

Acquired by the Italian State, Villa d'Este was restored and opened to the public in the 1920s and 1930s, allowing visitors to appreciate its historic and aesthetic significance.