| Hadrian's Villa | Home Up to Rome |
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| Photos by William Storage and Laura Maish Email us about this page |
Hadrian's Villa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Tivoli, Italy, was built by Emperor Hadrian shortly after he became emperor of Rome. Several theories attempt to explain why he chose this distant location, unlike his predecessors whose palaces still exist in ruins on the Palatine Hill in Rome. That his wife, Sabina, already owned the land near Tivoli seems to be a major factor. Additionally, Hadrian seems to have been, despite ranking high among the "good emperors", in many ways as cruel and ruthless as many emperors whom history has judged much more negatively. This is no doubt a consequence of the fact that his successor, Antoninus Pius, chose to have Hadrian remembered in a positive light. In any case, tension between Hadrian and the Senate was likely also a factor in his choosing this remote location for his residence. In his later years, he apparently ruled directly from the villa. The villa is huge - about 1 by 2 km - and, despite having been mined away by Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este in the 16th century for its marble, still exhibits a wealth of architectural styles and innovations. Hadrian was both aggressive and creative in his architectural endeavors, as is evident here and in the Pantheon. See also: our photos of portraiture of
Hadrian,
Sabina and
Antinous. |
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Keywords: ancient Rome, emperor,
imperial, archaeology, Tivoli, Villa of Hadrian, Italy.
The original resolution of these photos is 4368 x 2912 pixels. They were
recorded in 11/2005 with Canon EOS 5D digital cameras with Canon 24-105mm f/4 IS
and Canon 14-40mm f/4 lenses.
Copyright 2007 by Bill Storage. All rights reserved.