After remaining closed for about fifty years, the ancient Grotto of Diana at Villa d’Este in Tivoli underwent a two-year restoration and it is now ready to reopen in all its splendour.
Thanks to the commitment of the “Istituto autonomo Villa Adriana e Villa d’Este – VILLÆ di Tivoli” and the support of the Maison FENDI, the Grotto has returned to being a site of wonder and contemplation, where art and nature blend in perfect harmony. Thus, from May 6, 2025, Villa d’Este, already a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001, will be enriched with a new attraction. The Grotto of Diana will be accessible from the Passeggiata del Cardinale under the Loggia dei Venti, in the upper part of the park. From here, it will also be possible to enjoy an amazing view of the Eternal City, as well as of Mount Soratte, the mountains around Tivoli, and the Castelli Romani.
The Grotto was built between 1570 and 1572 on a design by Paolo Calandrino from Bologna and inspired by Pirro Ligorio, the architect who projected the Villa and its extraordinary park. Cardinal Ippolito d’Este, son of Lucrezia Borgia and Alfonso d’Este, commissioned this refined jewel in order to condense the best Italian and French cultures of the sixteenth-century. The masterpiece was of such beauty that it soon became a model for grottos and nymphaea throughout Europe.
The Grotto of Diane