After arriving in Rome in the morning and getting seriously lost on the ring road. we finally made it to Hadrian's Villa around noon. We went from the merely old to the seriously ancient. The image shows the complete reconstruction - because of no wireless internet, I am going to post photos later. We almost escaped the rain, but got caught in a downpour, taking refuge in a roped off area in the Baths (along with a short nap). After a dash to Adriano restaurant (great tortellini with truffles, chased down by Amarone) by the gate, we found the Hotel Sirene in Tivoli down an impossibly small alley, with a ridiculously tiny parking space for our Smart Car. Fit with millimeters to spare!
The hotel is great - we have a terrace that looks at the Temple of Sybil and down into the gorge with a very noisy waterfall. Zonked out for four hours, then simple dinner of primavera pizza and insalta and yummy panna cotta with caramel. Tivoli is not a touristy town, but has a number of charming streets, squares and appropriately decrepit buildings. Tomorrow, Villa d' Este (if it stops raining)!
