Villa Gregoriana
The Villa Gregoriana is a large park in Tivoli near Rome, which combines ancient Roman elements with a romantic garden. The waterfall of the river Aniene crashes at Villa 120 meters in depth. The park is managed since 2002 by the Italian Foundation for Heritage and environmental protection and is to be visited.
- 2.1 Valle dell'Inferno ( Teufelstal )
- 2.2 The Acropolis
History
The ancient Tibur, now Tivoli, was an important strategic position as a transit point for those coming from the east course of the river Aniene followed to reach the level Tiber and Rome. From the acropolis of Tivoli from the entire Aniene could be monitored. Just before the waterfall was a first ( toll ) bridge over the Aniene. The position Tiburs allowed despite the difficult geographical and hydrological situation the construction of the first water installations in the 2nd century BC These included twelve plants, such as ditches, canals, locks and aqueducts and bridges and water mills, which either contain or use all the Aniene should. Some of these were in the 19th century still in operation. At the time of the Roman Republic a number of villas were built in the Aniene, such as the villa of Manlius Vopiscus, which was destroyed by a great flood of Aniene again in the year 106, and whose ruins are located in the Villa Gregoriana.
The work by Gregory XVI.
The park of Villa Gregoriana is an initiative of Pope Gregory XVI. , Back, who saw the need in the 19th century to protect Tivoli from the destructive floods of the Aniene and then combining the useful with the aesthetic tried. Even the fountains of the Villa d' Este from the second half of the 16th century used the waters of the Aniene thanks to a channel that ran below the city walls. However, this channel was neither intended nor suitable to serve as an overflow for a possible flood. The construction of the Villa Gregoriana should counteract this deficiency. Pope Gregory XVI. left after the severe floods of 1826 to create further new channels and overflows under the Monte Catillo that should keep the Aniene of the town of Tivoli remote. In conventional riverbed, the water that could not run on the new diversions and it continued to be used for civil and industrial purposes collected. Pope Gregory XVI. also provided this flow part of the Ponte Gregoriana. The ruins of the former villa of Manlius Vopiscus were exposed and the individual elements integrated into the garden, which was equipped with podium, paths, passages, as well as new plants and essences. The work was completed in 1835 and inaugurated the Villa.
The hydroelectric power plant
In 1886, the Aniene was collected below the falls in an artificial basin for the production of electrical energy. Calcareous concretions and caves in the rocks suggest the earlier run of the Aniene.
Description
Valle dell'Inferno ( Teufelstal )
The Villa Gregoriana is located in a steep-sided gorge, which bears the name Valle dell'Inferno ( Teufelstal ), and was cut from the Aniene below the ancient acropolis of Tivoli in the porous tufa. The river here plunges 120 meters in depth. Of the original four falls are still two left today.
The Acropolis
The Acropolis of the Valle dell'Inferno houses two temples, dated a round temple of v in the 2nd century BC and a Pseudoperipteros from the 1st half of the 1st century BC The allocation of the temple is controversial, have been proposed Vesta, Albunea and Tiburnus. The park with the Roman temples, the waterfalls, the remains of Roman villas and the horticultural work is found in numerous landscape paintings, have the Tivoli on the subject again. In the late 18th century Tivoli was due to this peculiarity to one of the stations of the Romantic Grand Tour.
Current usage
The park, which is owned by the Italian State, was the FAI in 2002 - Fondo passed fiduciary per l' Ambiente Italiano. The FAI has restored the then very dilapidated facility and it opened in 2005 to the public. The park is from the center of Tivoli accessible and can be visited all year round to prevent entry fee.