Villa d'Este was commissioned by the Cardinal Ippolitto II d'Este and constructed by the Napolitan architect, Pirro Ligorio, in 1550, at the height of the Italian renaissance. It is renowned for its artistic wonders, but in particular Villa d'Este is famed for its 255 waterfalls, its 100 pools and 50 fountains among the other fantastic and original renaissance designs that transform the gardens into an enchanting oasis.

During the twenty years that it took Ligorio to complete his construction of the Villa and its gardens, he dug a 600 metre-long tunnel under the medieval city of Tivoli which served to pump an incredible quantity of water from the basin of the Aniene River to the pool above the famous Fountain dell'Ottavo. Using only the natural physical force of the fountains themselves, without any motorisation (let us not forget the limits of technology in the 1500's), Ligorio was able to calculate exactly how much water would have been necessary to supply the Villa and the gardens.
We will see:

• Noble Apartments
• The Garden
• The Vialone
• The Gran Loggia
• The Grottoes of Diana
• The Rotonda dei Cipressi
• The Villa Fountains
• The Fountain of il Bicchierone
• The Fountain of Europa
• The Fountain of Pegaso
• The Cento Fontane
• The Fountain of l'Ovato
• The Fountain of Draghi
• The Fountain of Rometta
• The Fountain of Proserpina
• The Fountain of la Civetta
• The Fountain of the Organo
• The Fountain of Nettuno
• The Fishing Pools
• The Fountain of Arianna
• The Fountain of Mete
• The Fountain of Natura o Abbondanza
• The Fountain of Rotonda dei Cipressi

Rome - Latium and Rome, Italy