An environmental disaster – the flood of 1826 – provided the opportunity for the creation of this marvellous location, with the waters of the River Aniene finally brought under control and canalised forming spectacular cascades among luxuriant vegetation and important ancient remains.
The beauty and charm of this site had attracted landscape painters such as Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain since the 17th century, making Tivoli a cardinal destination for 18th-century travellers on their Grand Tour. The crag with the temples and the Aniene water drop were subsequently immortalised by other artists such as Piranesi, Corot, Fragonard, Turner and Ingres, whose works helped spread the fame of this site. Pope Gregory XVI is to be credited for the site’s current appearance: he in fact ordered the important hydraulic work for the deviation of the course of the River Aniene that often caused spectacular but disastrous floods. Between 1832 and 1835 two tunnels were dug under Monte Catillo and the waters of the river were diverted creating the 12-metres high Cascata Grande. The park was solemnly inaugurated on 7 October 1835 and intended for the “diletto della comunità”, the community’s pleasure. An itinerary of twisting and arduous paths winds its way through cliffs, natural and artificial waterfalls, gorges, ravines and grottos, grand holm oak trees and impressive ruins, memorial stones and columns. Picturesque scenes appear amongst abundant vegetation and the remains of a Roman villa, maybe once belonging to the Roman consul Manlio Vopisco. Also accessible are Neptune and the Sirens’ grottoes where the river used to flow and, high up on the Acropolis, the temples probably dedicated to Vesta and Tiburnus. After years of neglect, this extraordinary park has been carefully and respectfully restored and returned to the public.
Highlights
The Temple of Neptune
A pathway made more accessible in the early 19th century by Napoleon’s lieutenant, Miollis, leads to the grotto under the acropolis, hollowed out by the force of the River Aniene. Originally larger, it partially collapsed during the flood of 1836 yet still remaining an impressive sight.
The Grotto of the Sirens
An arduous route leads to this grotto that, legend has it, owes its name to painter Loui Ducros who painted many scenes of Tivoli. The presence of the water which at that time came from the Grotto of Neptune had caused him to imagine that it was inhabited by the bewitching marine creatures. Above the grotto is a remarkable natural rock bridge.
The Temple of Vesta
This small elegant circular temple at the top of the acropolis, dates back to the 1st century BCE and was probably dedicated to Vesta, goddess of the hearth. The subject of countless landscapes, this architecture has almost become the symbol of Tivoli. Next to it there is another temple, rectangular in shape, dedicated perhaps to the god Tiburnus.
