Mr Warburton, I finally got to see it

Many years ago, in a land far away, (that is sometimes called the past), I sat in a class at Riccarton High School learning about a place called Hadrian's Villa. I clearly remember being taken in by its magic and by the beauty of what it had been and I told myself that one day I would go and see it.

Today, this day, on our trip, was the day I was going to fulfil that dream. Sure the brain cells are a lot less and I couldn't recall that much about it, however, I hoped that I would remember enough.

I think we were all a bit excited. Asher had heard a bit about it from his awesome Aunty Ra and so he was looking forward to seeing somewhere he'd heard about it. I mean look at his face, the excitement is palatable. 

A bus tour was required for this journey, as Tivoli, the place Hadrian's Villa is, is a wee way out of Rome. 3 days horse ride to be exact, however, we don't need horses to travel any more so a booking was made and a bus was boarded. There were about 20 of us and a tour guide. The trip took about 20-30 minutes, much faster than the horse.

We arrived at the Villa and it was out into the sun. We all popped on some sunscreen and prepared for the walk up the 'ramp', a long slope up a hill. 

Then we there. The tour guide began explaining the history to us all and we listened and we learned. She pointed out to us that we would need to use our imagination a lot because they are ruins and so it isn't all there anymore.

But before you begin the trip through photos some information.

Hadrian was emperor during the second and third decade of the 2nd century. 100 something AD. He didn't really like hanging out on the Palatine Hill in the Palace and so he had the Villa built for himself and his family (and nobles and servants ...). He was a good Emperor and took care of his people. He did lots of travelling and so because of this that his villa included a lot of things he discovered in his villa. 

So here we go ...

One of the reflection pools.

A friendly native

The walls of the villa. Some of it has been restored so that it doesn't fall down.

His private area - where he spent time alone away from the hustle and bustle. 

It had a moat and a one entry bridge.

The banqueting hall

The gym - yes they had a gym.

The baths

Isn't it wonderful?! It did come back to me as I travelled and it was such a thrill to be in the space with the statues and the water. It was amazing. 

To be continued ...