Day 8 May 30, 2023 (Rome)

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Day 8 May 30, 2023

Today we decided to leave the city and head to the little town of Tivoli. It is about 20 miles away, but about an hour by the Metro. We went to the Parco Villa Gregoriana, located at the feet of the city’s acropolis, and was commissioned by Pope Gregory XVI in 1832 to rebuild the bed of the Aniene River. A double tunnel was dug into Mount Catillo so the water, channeled in the bottleneck, increased its level, and fell in the artificial 120 meters waterfall known as Cascata Grande, which is the second highest waterfall in Italy. After World War II, the park became the property of the state in 2002. At that time, the site was in an advanced state of abandonment and hydro-geological instability, and it was brought back to life in 2005 by the FAI (a non-profit foundation that protects and enhances Italy’s historical, artistic and landscape heritage). The park has luxuriant greenery, and you can walk through the old trails to discover 74 tree species found in the park and explore interesting relics of past eras. There are remains of the Villa of the Roman Consul Manlius Vopiscus and the Roman temples on the acropolis, which include the Temple of Vesta. The park was beautiful, and the scenery was amazing! Lots of great pics!

After touring the park, we had a bite to eat (see pics) then headed to the Villa d’Este palace and gardens. The weather decided to take a turn for the worst, so we popped in and had a cafe and gelato to wait out the storm. The villa is famous all over the world for its splendid fountains and for being a beautiful example of the Italian Renaissance garden in Europe. Unfortunately, the fountains were not working, so we were unable to see those, and the rain decided to return so we did not tour the gardens. We were able to tour the inside of the Palazzo d’Este, the residential palace. Here we saw incredible frescoes that covered two floors.

We headed back to Rome, grabbed a wonderful dinner for our last night, then back to the BNB. Rome has been great, but we are ready for the next leg of the journey, Venice!!!! Ciao!

Miles walked – 7

Viewpoint overlooking the Villa of Manlius Vopiscus.
Where you see the water flowing from both sides, are the artificial canals almost 300 meters long intended to divert the course of the river directly away from the settlement so that the town would never again have to face risk of flooding from the Aniene River. The water is coming through the Monte Catillo tunnels.
The great waterfall with the seagull nonchalantly hanging around.
One of the artificial canals.
Ruins of the Villa of Manlius Vopiscus.
The Temples of Vest and of Tiburnus in upper right.
Photo on our way down to the bottom the great waterfall.
Down at the bottom of the waterfall.
Walking through the cave of Sirens, looking out one of the windows.
Steps heading up to Neptune’s cave.
I found another gatto 🙂
Tiburnus Temple from 150 B.C.
Temple of Vesta from between 100-120 B.C.
A view from Pizzeria Dalen Forno A Legna, where we ate lunch.
Suppli cacio e pepe – a rice ball with cheese and pepper.
Insalata greca – Greek salad
Tagliata al salmone – cut up pizza with mozzarella, smoked provolone, arugula, and smoked salmon – YUMMY!!!!!!!!
One of the many ceiling paintings of the Villa D’Este.
Here’s the rain that prevented us from seeing the gardens.
Some of the gardens from the second story, does not do it justice!
Our last dinner in Rome, happy face!
Stuffed ravioli with seafood.
This was a sea bass with yummy tomatoes/olives/pesto sauce.
Our first tiramisu! Ciao Rome!

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