The Hadrian's Villa (Villa Adriana in Italian) is a large Roman archaeological complex at Tivoli, Italy. It is a property of the Republic of Italy, and directed and run by the Polo Museale del Lazio since December 2014.
The villa was constructed at Tibur (modern-day Tivoli) as a retreat from Rome for Roman Emperor Hadrian during the second and third decades of the 2nd century AD. Hadrian was said to dislike the palace on the Palatine Hill in Rome, leading to the construction of the retreat. During the later years of his reign, he actually governed the empire from the villa. A large court therefore lived there permanently. The postal service kept it in contact with Rome 29 km (18 mi) away.
The Canopus consists of a terraced garden (ca. 160 m) with a canal (119 x 18 m) along its main axis. Around the canal ran a colonnade, which was curved on the north side, single on the western side, and double on the eastern side. In the middle of the western side stood four "Caryatids" and two Sileni in place of columns. These allude to Athens: the former to the Porch of the Maidens on the south side of the Erechtheion on the Acropolis; the latter to the Hadrianic silenoi decorating the stage of the Theater of Dionysus. Statues on the rounded northern side included two Amazons (types: Sciarra and Mattei), a Hermes, and a Warrior.
more on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrian's_Villa , http://vwhl.clas.virginia.edu/villa/ and http://vwhl.clas.virginia.edu/villa/canopus.php
picture generously provided by Rudolf Kaufmann (2015)
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