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| Hadrian's Villa |
The Emperor
Adriana (Hadrian – of Wall fame) certainly left his mark on Rome. His
mausoleum, Castel Sant’Angelo, dominates the banks of the Tiber and is
central to the plot of Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons. But at his
villa on the outskirts of the city, it’s clear just how important this emperor
was.
The villa
covers 300 acres and there’s enough buildings left (albeit in an
incomplete condition) to confirm just how talented the engineers of Adriana’s
era were. Very little of what remains has restricted access, visitors roam at
will. Such a large area demands a full day, sadly I was only able to stay for a few
hours.
Since my
visit the villa’s been in the news – a new network of caves running under the
villa had been found and explored. It’s believed they were used to move cattle
and slaves around the area. Adriana wouldn’t have wanted his beautiful vista
spoilt by such domestics, so a network of passageways was created. I wasn’t
aware that any caves existed and reading of these new ones came as a surprise.
It seems that although I had barely scratched the surface, Adriana was digging
deeper.
