In June 2018, after visiting Villa Adriana and Villa Gregoriana and enjoying pasta on a terrace in the centre of Tivoli, I now had to explore the gardens of Villa D'Este to complete the hat trick. So I walked from the centre of the small town to the Renaissance palace. The frescoed walls and ceilings in the palace are pretty, but don't stand out from the crowd, especially in Italy. It is nevertheless pleasant to walk through the rooms of the building. However, the highlight is the garden. Large trees and well-trimmed hedges overhang and surround hundreds of fountains.

Although the Fontana dell'Organo was not in operation at the time of my visit, I enjoyed admiring the other works of art. After all, that's what these fountains are! The Fontana Di Tivoli (or dell'Ovato), the Fontana di Nettuno and the Viale delle Cento Fontane are the most beautiful in my opinion. They are original, make clever use of water and are full of sculptures and small details. The others, in the four corners of the garden, are not to be overlooked, however, and are well worth a look. The use of vegetation enhances many of these, although the plants could do with more flowers. The Fontana della Rometta, in the southern corner of the garden, also has an interesting layout. The many paths that criss-cross the site offer several fine views, not only of the garden but also of the valley below. On another note, as noted by Els six years earlier, many of the fountains were not working and deserved some love. A thunderstorm arrived as I was finishing my visit and I was able to get to the shelter of the bus before the deluge.

In conclusion, Villa D'Este is a very pleasant visit and contains a huge number of fountains. However the site is rather small. Just over an hour is needed for an in-depth visit. Also, the palace is not particularly remarkable. So, although I enjoyed my visit, I question the OUV of this Villa. I am far from being an expert on the history of the Italian Renaissance, but I got the impression that this garden was more the work of an extravagantly wealthy owner than an ensemble with a strong universal significance.

Nevertheless, it is rather easy to visit the three Tivoli villas and all three are worth a visit. I unintentionally visited the sites in order from my favourite to the one that attracted me the least.