The magnificent fountains of the Villa d’Este in Tivoli, Italy. Ligorio planned this fountain to illustrate the theme of war and combat against evil; he intended that one niche would be occupied by a statue of Hercules with his club, before he killed the dragon Ladon; and the second with statues of Mars, the god of War, Ippolito had the fountain altered for the visit of Pope Gregory in 1572. The original design featured a grotto in the niche of the arch, with a view of the twenty-two pipes of the organ.

The original performances of the fountain began with the sound of two trumpets, held by the statue of Fame on the cornice of the fountain.

Upon exiting the Palace is crossed, one can view from its upper terraces, the gardens and fountains that are gradually discovered as one descends through the different steep levels of paths and stairs. Ippolito died three months later, and the fountain was still not completed. At the top, above the niche, is the coat of arms of the d'Este, held by two angels. Cardinal d’Este was the grandson of Pope Alexander VI, head of the noble Spanish Borgia family through Lucrezia Borgia.

The back portion of the fountain represents the buildings the monuments if Rome; deteriorated greatly in the early 19th century, and a large part was demolished in 1850, but a portion of this architecture still stands on the left side of the fountain. He spent more and more of his time in the villa, reading and meeting with the leading poets, artists and philosophers of the Renaissance.
The fame and glory of the Villa d'Este was above all established by its extraordinary system of fountains; fifty-one fountains and nymphaeums, 398 spouts, 364 water jets, 64 waterfalls, and 220 basins, fed by 875 metres of canals, channels and cascades, and all working entirely by the force of gravity, without pumps. The composer After the First World War, the villa was acquired by the Italian State, which began a major restoration in 1922. After his elevation to the College of Cardinals in 1538, he refurbished the palace of his cousin, Cardinal Ercole Gonzaga, which he rented as his cardinalatial residence in Rome. Francesco I (1629-1641) restored many of the crumbling structures and began planting trees in the previously unshaded gardens.

Ceiling fresco of the Second Tiburtine Hall, with scenes from mythology and Roman history In the 16th century the lower garden, below the fishponds, was originally largely a kitchen garden.

They are reached by a large ceremonial stairway that descends from the courtyard, and are connected to each other by a long narrow corridor with a high vaulted ceiling, which receives light from a series of openings to the courtyard above.

Tivoli had been a popular summer residence since ancient Roman times due to its altitude, cooler temperatures and its proximity to the The land was acquired and construction was planned to begin at the end of 1550, but the Cardinal was distracted by various diplomatic missions; he was posted to northern Italy to resolve a war in Parma, then sent by Henry II on a mission to Sienna.

It is an important piece of the symbolic story told by the upper gardens; the waters of the Tiber River emerge in the Tiburtin Mountains, symbolized by the Oval Fountain, run through the valley (The Hundred Fountains) and arrive at the gates of Rome; the Rometta Fountain is Ancient Rome in miniature; the real city was visible in the distance behind the Fountain.
Its two stairways provide access to the ceremonial salons on the lower floor, while its upper level created a terrace for the Cardinal's apartments. Then came the music, likely The mechanism of the fountain was extremely delicate and required continual cleaning and maintenance. In the center is the The statue of the Sibyl Albunensa over the fountain, and the artificial mountains behind it. This musical feature was admired and copied in other European gardens, and functioned until the end of the 17th century.