Hadrian’s Villa
Today we took an hour bus ride to Tivoli where we visited Hadrian’s Villa. Hadrian succeeded Trajan in 117 AD, and work started on the villa in 118 AD. It includes elements of Greek and Egyptian influence as a testament to the various cultures of the Roman Empire during Hadrian’s reign. The villa is spread over about 120 hectares and includes many buildings that served different functions. We saw the Poikile (Pecile), which was a large courtyard designed for after lunch strolls; the Building with Three Exedras, which may have served as a dining room; the Baths, with intact mosaics and complex heating systems; the Canopus, where many marble statues were unearthed and where parties and social gatherings were held; the Piazza d’Oro, which still includes many examples of polychrome mosaic and latrines that once had running water; and the Maritime Theater, which was not a theater but rather a private getaway for the emperor.
Hadrian’s villa once had over 500 statues and ornate frescoes and mosaics, but throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance it was stripped of most of its artwork which is now in museums.
Chelsea and Rosie
Apologies for the glut of photos:
(We walked through a large arch in this nine meter high wall to enter the Poikele.)
(Originally there would have been a portico on either side of the wall.)
(It was certainly a nice place for an after lunch stroll, or a stroll at any time of day;
walking around the perimeter seven times was equal to walking two Roman miles.)
(At the center of the Poikele was a vast and magnificent pool.)
(The pool was home to several fish and fowl who were excited by our presence.)
(The Poikele was actually built on a raised platform above underground rooms.)
(Our next stop was the Building with Three Exedrae; this is the Eastern exedra.)
(The Western exedra would have had a rectangular niche with a large window.)
(The Southern exedra, facing the atrium and Poikele, would have had large statue.)
(The Winter Palace was so named because of heating systems on the top floors.)
(In front of the Winter Palace was a small stadium believed to be a nymphaeum.)
(Above and below: the small bath complex was, well, small.)
(This is, of course, as compared to the large bath complex directly to the south.)
(The large baths, despite their size were not as well decorated as the small baths.)
(Above and below: When I said large, I meant large.)
(On the side of a hill behind the baths was the praetorium.)
(It was perhaps a residential area for praetorian guards of the emperor.)
(There was some original stucco decoration at the base of the praetorium walls.)
(Above and below: more stucco decoration preserved on a vault in the baths.)
(Nick walks atop the hill into which the praetorium was inset, next to the Canopus.)
(A woman collects fallen fruits from the olive trees on the hilltop.)
(The Canopus lay at the base of a valley and was a place for social gatherings.) 
(At the northen end was a colonnade of Corinthian columns.)
(At the southern end was an apsical temple dedicated to Serapis.)
(On the western side was a row of caryatids.)
(On the eastern side was a crocodile fountain piece.)
(This statue at the northern end is believed to be a depiction of Antinous, a man whom Hadrian was smitten with and who drowned in the Canopus canal in Egypt.)
(Above and below: yet another bath complex called the Heliocaminus.)
(We finally made our way into the ruins of the Imperial Palace.)
(There we found some well-preserved monocrome geometric tile mosaics.)
(Above and below: the main room of the Imperial Palace.)
(Just next door was the appropriately named Building with Doric Columns.)
(Behind the Imperial Palace was the Piazza d’Oro, or Golden Square.)
(There were several private latrines around the circumference of the court.)
(There was also a good example of a polycrome mosaic floor in a rhombus pattern.)
(This structure was at the southeastern corner of the Piazza d’Oro.)
(This was the Latin library to the north of the Imperial Palace.)
(This was the so-called Philosopher’s Hall, thought to be a library or audience hall.)
(Finally, we visited the Maritime Theatre, a retreat only reached by swing bridge.)
William Skinner
