Villa Gregoriana
Encyclopedia
Villa Gregoriana is a park located in Tivoli
, Italy
.
The park, located at the feet of the city's ancient acropolis
was commissioned by Pope Gregory XVI
in 1835 to rebuild the bed of the Aniene River, which had been damaged by the flood of 1826. Since ancient times, the river formed a wide curve around the acropolis, after which it fell from a limestone's spur into the plain below. The river formed originally four falls, now reduced to two. The site had a strategical importance since it commanded the transumanza
path from Abruzzo
along the path which later become the Via Valeria
. The Romans had already built here hydraulic manufacts, 12 of which are known by findings today.
It had fallen into ruins by the end of the 20th century, but was reopened to the public in 2005 thanks to a major landscape recovery project orchestrated by the FAI, the Italian National Trust.
Villa Gregoriana consists mainly of thick woodlands with paths that lead to the caves of Neptune and the Sirens, which form part of a series of gorges and cascades, and to the Great Waterfall.
Tivoli, Italy
Tivoli , the classical Tibur, is an ancient Italian town in Lazio, about 30 km east-north-east of Rome, at the falls of the Aniene river where it issues from the Sabine hills...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
The park, located at the feet of the city's ancient acropolis
Acropolis
Acropolis means "high city" in Greek, literally city on the extremity and is usually translated into English as Citadel . For purposes of defense, early people naturally chose elevated ground to build a new settlement, frequently a hill with precipitous sides...
was commissioned by Pope Gregory XVI
Pope Gregory XVI
Pope Gregory XVI , born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari, named Mauro as a member of the religious order of the Camaldolese, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1831 to 1846...
in 1835 to rebuild the bed of the Aniene River, which had been damaged by the flood of 1826. Since ancient times, the river formed a wide curve around the acropolis, after which it fell from a limestone's spur into the plain below. The river formed originally four falls, now reduced to two. The site had a strategical importance since it commanded the transumanza
Transumanza
The transumanza is the Italian term for transhumance, the traditional twice yearly migration of sheep and cows from the highlands to the lowlands, and vice versa. The word literally means "crossing the land"...
path from Abruzzo
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
along the path which later become the Via Valeria
Via Valeria
The Via Valeria was an ancient Roman road of Italy, the continuation north-eastwards of the Via Tiburtina. It probably owed its origin to Marcus Valerius Messalla, censor in 154 BC...
. The Romans had already built here hydraulic manufacts, 12 of which are known by findings today.
It had fallen into ruins by the end of the 20th century, but was reopened to the public in 2005 thanks to a major landscape recovery project orchestrated by the FAI, the Italian National Trust.
Villa Gregoriana consists mainly of thick woodlands with paths that lead to the caves of Neptune and the Sirens, which form part of a series of gorges and cascades, and to the Great Waterfall.