Tivoli, Italy

It's been months in the planning and it finally arrived...Kellen's entire family came to Europe to meet us for a 2 week vacation!!!

Since it is only a 2 hour flight to Rome from Brussels, Kellen and I went to Rome a day early and headed straight to Tivoli, Italy. It is just a quick 30 minute train ride from Rome. We came to explore the Ville d'Este estate. It was built by the Pope in the 1600's for his nephew who was exiled from Rome to live in. It is enormous with brightly colored frescos covering every wall. But, what it is really famous for is the gardens, aka Tivoli Gardens. It has hundreds of fountains that are all powered by gravity. It was beautiful!

The pictures do not do it justice. The estate is set on a hill overlooking the city and although  some of the statues are beginning to crumble and the walls of the estate are worn and old, as you walk around you can not help but imagine the beauty and elegance that this enormous estate once possessed!

Our night ended with some amazing Italian pasta, gelato, and the sun setting over the city!