Villa Gregoriana is a large park that's all about caves and waterfalls.

Villa Gregoriana was very different from the other two villas we saw in Tivoli, so here's everything about it.

For Lucie and me, Villa Gregoriana was easily the most beautiful place we visited in Tivoli. This actually says quite a lot because in this area we also saw two UNESCO sites, Villa d'Este and Villa Adriana. But those sites were focused on history, while Villa Gregoriana was centered on nature (despite the similarity in the name of the site).

Funny thing is, we almost didn't go in simply because I wasn't sure whether we'd even have enough time to see Villa Gregoriana. That's why I also didn't put much effort into checking out details about it and stopped once I read that it was basically a park with some waterfalls. Because of that, our visit to Villa Gregoriana was a little less smooth than normal, as we kept running into surprises. But that didn't stop us, did it?

At the time, we had no idea, but Villa Gregoriana ended up being one of the highlights of our trip to Tivoli. The site came with waterfalls, grottoes, caves, a tidy trail, and stunning views. And since we came here all the way from Rome and had to come back in the evening, we really couldn't ask for a better finish to our Tivoli adventure. If you're thinking about visiting Villa Gregoriana, you've come to the right spot. We've got all the essentials covered here.

Villa Gregoriana made a great place for an afternoon walk.

Visiting Villa Gregoriana

Once we finished walking through Tivoli's historic center, we made our way to Villa Gregoriana's west entrance. The main entrance was on the south side of the park, but since we came across this one first, I thought we'd give it a try. I wasn't sure if it would work, though, since I had only relied on the map, and maps aren't always the best source for figuring out access to large sites. So when we arrived, I was glad to see this spot really did look like an entrance.

We first reached this Villa Gregoriana entrance, which is typically used as an exit.

Temple of the Sybil and the Temple of Vesta

But first, before hitting the trail, we checked out the Temple of the Sybil and the Temple of Vesta, a pair of Roman ruins that have stood on the former acropolis since antiquity, and which were right in front of us.

The Temple of Vesta, built in the 1st century BCE, had a circular design and showed off the Corinthian order. The temple is relatively well-preserved, and while it was cool to see it from up close, it was the Villa Gregoriana's trails that offered the most breathtaking views. The rectangular Temple of Sybil sits right next to it. It features Ionic order, but it's really just the columns and rectangular frame that remain.

Both the Temple of the Sybil (left) and the Temple of Vesta (right) are open to explore for free.

Here we could also tie in a detail from our past travels, since the Temple of Vesta inspired many later structures. For example, we had already seen its influence at the Forum Romanum earlier on this trip, but that's not what we meant. The fun part, though, was that it went beyond ancient times. A few years ago, while driving along the Northern Ireland coast, we visited Mussenden Temple, which, as it turns out, was modeled directly after this one.

Anyway, both temples are free, which, though at the time we didn't know, were the only parts of Villa Gregoriana that could be accessed without tickets. So now I can talk more about them.

Villa Gregoriana offered us some stunning views of the Temple of Vesta like this one.

Villa Gregoriana Tickets

Because I hadn't looked into it much, I still thought Villa Gregoriana was just a regular public park. That changed when we suddenly walked into a building that seemed to be a visitor center/souvenir shop, which, well, most public parks don't have. So while Lucie checked out some of their products, I asked the staff how it worked, and they explained that Villa Gregoriana was, in fact, paid, with an entry fee of €10.

The River Aniene at Grand Cascade plunges 120 meters into the valley.

With that in mind, I went back to Lucie, and we had a quick chat about whether paying €10 each just to see a waterfall and stroll around was really worth it. Since we had already spent quite a lot on tickets for both UNESCO sites, Villa d'Este and Villa Adriana, we decided against it for the moment and returned to the historic center. But that wasn't the end of the story. Soon we wandered to the nearby Gregorian Bridge and a small spot beside it with a few benches, where we sat down for a quick snack.

But the idea of Villa Gregoriana stuck with us, and honestly, it grew stronger. So, I checked a few photos online and saw that it might be more interesting than I had thought. That was enough to convince us to give it a second chance, since the only way to know was, as always, to see it ourselves. And besides, we weren't in any rush to return to Rome. Since the main entrance was just about 100 meters away, we went ahead and used that to enter the park.

This is the view from the Cave of Sirens, the lowest point of the Villa Gregoriana walk.

Back inside Villa Gregoriana, we finally purchased our tickets for €10 each (they offer discounts for students, families, etc.). The staff gave us a short explanation of the recommended path and confirmed we had enough time for the full walk, so off we went. For the record, you can also book tickets online through the official website. Honestly, I doubt it's required unless you're coming on a packed summer weekend, because this is no Vatican Museums or Sistine Chapel. For most visits, booking ahead doesn't seem necessary.

This is the main entrance to Villa Gregoriana.

Opening Hours

Before starting the hike, I should mention that Villa Gregoriana has seasonal opening hours. In summer (June to August), the main season, it runs from 9 AM to 7 PM. For the rest of the year, it opens at 9:30 AM, but the closing time changes almost every month or two. When we visited in September, it closed at 6:30 PM, in October at 6 PM, and the hours kept getting shorter until winter, when the park closed at 4:30 or 4 PM (but at least it stayed open).

Miollis Path, leading to Neptune Cave, was carved in the 19th century.

Because it was already close to 5 PM, I assumed we wouldn't manage to see the whole park, since I believed they closed at 6 PM. Plus, I later learned the last entry is an hour before closing, something I hadn't known then. That's why I was so relieved to find out we still had around 90 minutes left for the walk, which felt like just enough time for what lay ahead.

Exploring Villa Gregoriana

As I mentioned earlier, we came on a weekday in September. It was a beautiful late afternoon, and the park was nearly empty. After seeing super busy sites in Rome like the Colosseum or St. Peter's Basilica, it felt great to enjoy a popular spot without crowds. And I can only imagine how packed this place must get on weekends.

The trail also had these signs marking the way.

Another reason I felt initially skeptical about Villa Gregoriana was its main highlight, the waterfalls. We arrived at the start of September after a long heat wave, and I worried about the flow of the Aniene River. Since this river feeds Tivoli's waterfalls, and it hadn't rained much the month before, I wasn't sure how much water would still be running. While they weren't Iguazu, they had more water than I expected for this time of year. So on that front, everything was fine.

The Tivoli waterfalls were just stunning.

Villa Gregoriana Trail

We found a large map at the main entrance and another one printed in the handout from the ticket desk. What caught my attention was that the numbering of highlights wasn't exactly the same on both maps, though the routes were basically identical. I snapped pictures of each and used the paper one to guide us, but looking back, the big entrance map seemed more precise. Maybe they had made changes to the trail and hadn't yet updated the paper version, but that's just my guess.

This big sign had a nice map of Villa Gregoriana.

We had just enough time to explore Villa Gregoriana at a fairly relaxed pace, so we didn't complicate things and simply followed the stops in their numbered order. It turned out to be the most efficient way to see the park, which honestly didn't leave much space for improvising anyway.

Since we stuck to the suggested path, we were looking at a 2-kilometer hike with about a 90-meter descent and then a 90-meter climb back up. It didn't sound tough at all, but more like a bit of exercise after a long day of wandering through open-air ruins and shuffling around an old palace with gardens.

We used this paper version of the Villa Gregoriana map.

The sun that day was intense, but here we walked mostly in the shade. As the afternoon wore on and we descended into the valley by the water, the air grew refreshingly cool. I had wondered if the hike might be too much, but the cooler air quickly gave us back plenty of energy. From the main entrance, we made our way toward the big waterfall.

Upper Grand Cascade Viewpoint

Rising 120 meters, the Grand Cascade is the tallest waterfall in Villa Gregoriana (and one of the tallest in Italy). There are two main viewpoints, and we headed first to the upper one, called Monte Catillo Canals. From that angle, we realized we were standing level with the point where the Aniene River goes over the edge, so the view showed only the upper part of the waterfall. The name also pointed to another feature here, the canals under Monte Catillo. They weren't much to see in person, basically a channel carved into rock, but the history behind them was actually really fascinating.

These tunnels were carved into Monte Catillo to divert the Aniene River.

History of Villa Gregoriana

The interesting thing we learned about Tivoli's Grand Cascade is that it isn't actually a natural waterfall, which consequently brought us to the history of the whole park.

Villa Gregoriana and the two canals (also called Gregorian Tunnels) beneath this part of town were built between 1826 and 1835 under Pope Gregory XVI to divert the Aniene River. It was a huge engineering project meant to control the river's flow and stop the frequent, destructive floods that had troubled Tivoli for centuries. Once the river was redirected, the Grand Cascade came into existence, and the town was safe.

Grand Cascade was formed by diverting the Aniene River.

Beneath the town, the old riverbed and deep gorge were turned into a scenic public park with a Romantic 19th-century aesthetic. The plan was to make a space with wild nature, dramatic waterfalls, twisting paths, deep caves, and ancient ruins as a backdrop. There's still a sense of melancholy here, and as strange as it might sound, it reminded me a bit of our visit to Neuschwanstein.

After World War II, the park became state property. But without proper maintenance, it fell into serious disrepair and was eventually closed to the public. Finally, after years of neglect, Fondo Ambiente Italiano, Italy's National Trust, restored the park and reopened it in 2005. Suddenly, that entry fee starts to make a bit more sense, right?

The trail was slowly winding down into the valley.

Bernini Waterfall Viewpoint

The trail here was one big zigzag, so we followed it across to the other side of the valley, passing through the Ruins of the Villa of Manlius Vopiscus and ending up at the Bernini Waterfall viewpoint. The path kept heading downward, and every so often, we got to enjoy some incredible views. From there, another zigzag took us to the lower viewpoint of the Grand Cascade.

Lower Grand Cascade Viewpoint

The path leading to the lower viewpoint of the Grand Cascade was among the prettiest in the park, particularly the last part. I'll admit that although this waterfall is the tallest one here, it didn't feel as dramatic as the numbers might imply. Both viewpoints were pretty much right next to the fall. Standing beside it was impressive, but a more distant view would have let us see the whole thing in all its glory. Still, considering how the park is arranged, I can see why that wasn't an option.

The view of Grand Cascade from lower viewpoint.

Cave of Sirens

Next, we headed to the viewpoint overlooking the Valley of Hell (Valle dell'Inferno) and then made our way down to the Cave of the Sirens (Grotta delle Sirene), which easily became the highlight of our Villa Gregoriana walk.

Valley of Hell offered some dramatic views.

Not only did we enjoy the waterfalls and cascades of the Aniene River, but we could also walk right into the cave where the river disappears before appearing again further down the valley. The grotto is completely natural, carved out by the river over many centuries. Since this was the lowest point of our hike, from here on, it was all uphill.

Here the Aniene River disappears into the Cave of Sirens.

Neptune's Cave

Following another set of zigzags, we reached Neptune's Cave (Grotta di Nettuno). Similar to the cave before, it was shaped by the original flow of the Aniene River before the diversion. The river's force over many centuries created the impressive natural tunnel we saw today.

That made us wonder why there was still water flowing through the grotto. The answer was straightforward. Most of the Aniene River was diverted to protect the city, but it wasn't entirely stopped. What remained allowed us to see the river's original path, though the water flow was much lower than back in the day, not to mention during devastating floods.

Neptune's Cave was carved by Aniene River.

How Much Time to Spend at Villa Gregoriana

Next, we made our way back up to Tivoli, coming out through the other entrance that served as our exit. We walked through the visitor center and paused for one final view of the stunning ancient temple ruins we talked about earlier.

We ended up spending nearly all of those 90 minutes in the park on what was basically a one-way trip through Villa Gregoriana, and even though we didn’t rush, it felt like having two full hours would’ve made the visit even better.

Two hours should be enough for Villa Gregoriana.

Back to Rome

For us, this wasn't just a goodbye to Villa Gregoriana. Even though we wished we could have stayed in Tivoli overnight, we needed to return to Rome for our final day, which we wanted to spend exploring the famous Via Appia. In the evening, we even managed to visit the famous Borghese Gallery, which was another incredible place we visited on this trip.

However, if you plan to stay in Tivoli, Al Palazzetto and Palazzo Santori are both good choices. After that, we walked through the historic center to Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi and caught a Cotral bus to Ponte Mammolo, reaching it in about 40 minutes.

One of the final views we could enjoy from Villa Gregoriana's exit area.

Travel Insurance

We never leave home without travel insurance that was designed to cover our expenses if something goes wrong during the trip. Travel insurance protects against theft, flight delays, injury, illness, cancellations, and much more. Travel smarter and safer!

World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers to cover their trip essentials, including sports and adventure activities.

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How to Get to Villa Gregoriana

Villa Gregoriana is located on the edge of Tivoli's historic center, about 35 kilometers from Rome. We took a Cotral bus from Rome's Ponte Mammolo to Tivoli because we wanted to see Villa Adriana first, so we got off there. If we had stayed on the bus, it would have dropped us off almost right next to the main entrance. If you're curious about how we got from Villa Adriana to Tivoli by bus, this guide is for you.

We took a bus from Rome to Tivoli and then walked to Villa Gregoriana.

We visited Villa Gregoriana last, but if you're coming to Tivoli by train, the station is just 450 meters from the main entrance, making it a convenient starting point for your Tivoli trip. Since we went to Villa d'Este first, we simply walked to Villa Gregoriana once we arrived in town.

If you're renting a car in Rome, the drive takes about 40 to 60 minutes. You can park at Parcheggio Piazza Massimo, right next to Villa Gregoriana. This paid lot is very close to both the park entrance and Tivoli's historic center, so it's really convenient to leave your car there.

Is Villa Gregoriana Worth Seeing?

Now the question is whether Villa Gregoriana is worth visiting, considering it has an entry fee, which makes it a slightly more complicated choice. If it were half the price, I would recommend it without hesitation. But for seeing a few waterfalls and hiking in nature, it did feel a bit pricey for what it offered.

Villa Gregoriana offered a lot of these amazing views.

As I said earlier, we were really reluctant to pay for this site, and at first, we planned to skip it. After changing our minds and visiting Villa Gregoriana, we realized the place was truly beautiful, and seeing how the water interacts with the town gave us a different view of Tivoli.

We've encountered plenty of tourist spots that felt like cash grabs with little to offer, but this one didn't feel like one of them, especially after learning about its history. The scenery was amazing, the trails were well-maintained, and we were happy we decided to visit.

Above all, we agreed on leaving that Villa Gregoriana was more than just pretty, and paying for it felt reasonable. That said, as someone who travels on a budget, I understand why some people might not think it's worth it. If you're okay with the entry fee, we'd say it's worth a visit.

Travel Resources

Here you can find links to all the travel resources we use and which you might find helpful when planning your next holiday.

Accommodation: When looking for accommodation, we usually search hotels via Booking.com or Hostelworld.

Tours: Although we love to travel independently, some places are better to visit with a guided tour.

We prefer GetYourGuide for its easy-to-use interface and solid reputation. Another great alternative is Viator.

Rental Cars: When going on a road trip, we always use Rentalcars.com, a reliable site for booking a rental car in advance.

Flight Tickets: When looking for flight tickets, you can search Skyscanner to find the best price.

Travel Insurance: World Nomads and SafetyWing cover against risks of travel.

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How to Visit Villa Gregoriana (and Tivoli's Waterfalls)