Tivoli is a beautiful little town located on hill about 20 miles north of Rome , a forty-five minute drive. In Tivoli the Cardinal Ippolito II D'Este, once he was elected governor in the 1550's, had an incredible villa built for himself as his residence with the most admirable gardens liven up by almost four hundred fountains. On the way to Tivoli , time permitting; also a visit can be paid to the ruins of Hadrian's Villa, which used to be the winter residence of the Emperor built in the second century A.D.. Also a short stop can be made to admire the quarries of the Travertine marble, which the Romans used for building the Colosseum and most of their other important buildings.