Customer Reviews

Hadrian's Villa and Its Legacy

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MacDonald/Pinto assert that Hadrian forged a new and innovative architectural system which integrated buildings with nature and human use. Hadrian's goal was to create an arrangement of buildings which were functional and yet challenged the intellect to contemplate the unseen world. They also make a very strong case for the pervasive influence which this complex villa has had on archtecture from ancient times to the present. This book makes one realize that Roman architecture is indeed relevant to the present.

First of all, it is a beautiful book. For anyone who already has visited the Villa, just the cover is truly moving, with the line of trees next the palestra, as moving is the Piranesi graffiti photo. The reader must also understand the book is about a ruin and accept some degree of frustration with descriptions and the current outlook of monuments, but MacDonald and Pinto are very sucessful in freeing our imagination to wander among the profound design and intentions of Hadria's Villa. A collection of monuments that is too the empire, the memories of a life and a message to the future. Even the authors seemed amazed, for instance, by the Maritime Theater plan or the use of landscape. It is a book to be read again and again.

We visited Hadian's Villa several years ago, and although I've thought about the visit several times since, 100 Great Journeys brought the villa alive again.

The photographs are very effective both in memory and in certain measure to show me sections of the ruins I didn't see or don't remember. The view of the pool and the artificial grotto named Canopus and Serapeum is particularly beautiful. (Poor Apollodorus of Damascus: "Go away and draw your pumpkins. You know nothing about architectural matters." Mocking Hardrian's dome eventually proved fatal.)

I was struck by the size of the horse stables; they seemed to go on forever and there is an interesting view here that shows their magnitude.

Our guides told us that Hadrian suffered from severe headaches near the end of his life. He reportedly spent much time alone in the Maritime Theater, a round portico with a barrel vault supported by pillars. Inside is a ring-shaped pool with a central island. There were two drawbridges and a small Roman house with an atrium, a library, a triclinium and small baths.

The British Museum put on an exhibit of objects related to Hardian in 2008; Hadrian: Empire and Conflict is a superb catalog of the exhibit, and stands well alone as an insightful study of this unusual ruler. The press release for the exhibit reads in part:

"A central theme of Hadrian's life and his legacy can be found in his strong personal interest in architecture. Under his patronage, highly innovative, iconic buildings were constructed throughout the empire and form a major part of his legacy. The most famous are the Pantheon in Rome and his magnificent residence at Tivoli, a few miles east of the capital. The villa was like a small city, the empire in miniature. It evoked famous sites in Greece and Egypt and was a playground for new architecture, filled with exquisite works of art. The villa is still being excavated and exciting new finds and research will be presented in the exhibition."

This book is well produced with excellent pictures, drawings and plans, and with careful, accurate descriptions of the small parts of the villa that have been excavated. There is an excellent bibliography. Altogether, this is an excellent guide whether on the ground or at home remembering.

Robert C. Ross 2008 2009