The City of Fountains: A Day Trip to Tivoli Italy
If you need a break from all of the tourists in Rome the village of Tivoli is a short train ride and feels like a world away. As a side trip from Rome we took the local train to Tivoli. It so happened there was a metro strike the morning we planned on heading to Tivoli.
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The strike was for four hours and we learned strikes in Rome are planned ahead of time. However, we were not aware of this particular strike. Like most mornings we walked to the metro to find we could not take the metro or the bus to Tiburtini like we had planned.
Not wanting to waste four hours, we walked through the neighborhoods of Rome (5 miles to be exact) until we made it to the red line metro stop Monti Tiburtini. At Tiburtini we bought a ticket for the Trenitalia train to Tivoli. It cost us around $2.50 euro
The train ride is about an hour ride through the countryside. Right before town you will see a huge waterfall to your right if you are looking out the window. It is beautiful. You will only see it for a minute, so don’t blink.
Train Station to Downtown
The train stops about 3/4 of a mile from the center of town. You can take a shuttle bus, however, we just walked. To walk to town, we departed the train, walked through the station out the other side. Across from the parking lot you will see a path and a pedestrian bridge crossing the Aniene River.
We crossed the river, walked up the stairs and continued straight down the road till we reached the Rocco Pia, which looks like a castle. From here we veered right.
Then we followed the road to the left and ended up at the Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi.
We ate lunch at one of the restaurants in this area. This was where we first tried prosciutto and melon, which is amazing. After lunch we walked about a block to Villa d’Este.
Visiting Villa d’Este Tivoli Fountains
If you are facing the cafes just follow the road to the left towards the Catholic church. You will pass shops and will be lead to the entrance of Villa d’Este.
Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este of Ferrara was an Italian statesman who had the Villa d’Este palace created for him. The interior is stunning with it’s ornate and detailed ceilings. You could spend hours just exploring the palace.
The views from the terraced hilltop and the fountains are incredible.
None of the fountains use pumps. The water flow is fed by canals and channels. The different levels allow for the fountains to flow due to the force of gravity.
