“Villa Adriana is an exceptional architectural legacy of the great Roman Emperor Hadrian. Built as a retreat from Rome between 117 and 138 AD, the villa was designed as an ideal city and incorporates the architectural traditions of Ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt.” Thus Unesco introduces Hadrian’s Villa, a World Heritage site since 1999.  

The remains of some 30 buildings extend over 120 hectares of the Tiburtine Hills, in Tivoli, some 30 km east of Rome. Hadrian chose this location for a number of reasons: the great wealth of water and vegetation in the area; its proximity to Rome; the elevated and panoramic position, which made it a strategic site, enjoyable while easily defensible and controllable.