Before I came to Rome, one of my mom’s best friends/my hairdresser/my eyebrow stylist/my everything/etc. told me that if I didn’t go to a certain city east of Rome, I would have let her down. So, when one of my friends asked if anyone wanted to go on a day trip to Tivoli, I jumped at the opportunity. A small group of us took the 1.5 hr journey to the hilltop city via the metro and a local bus. On the bus, I happened to strike up conversation with a young Swedish couple who also were of Middle Eastern background. They ended up following our group as we journeyed to the main sites together.

The first spot we hit was Villa Gregoriana, which can be compared to a large metropark (a metropark with an ancient waterfall, that is). After living in the big city for the past couple of months, it was nice to adventure through some nature.

The Cascata Grande (Great Waterfall)

The second site we went to was Villa d’Este, whose main features included lavish gardens, monumental fountains, and an elaborate residence, all from the Renaissance era.

View from the top of Villa d’Este

Extravagant fountains throughout the gardens

It was a great day filled with hiking and exploring, and a quick and easy day trip from Rome. Needless to say, my hairdresser is pleased 🙂