Built starting from the 2nd century BC, the Sanctuary of Hercules Victor is one of the greatest sacred complexes of Roman architecture of the Republican period. It is a scenographic structure of imposing dimensions, built on a terracing overlooking the Aniene river, along an ancient transhumance route that would later become the Via Tiburtina. The road was incorporated into the architectural ensemble as a monumental gallery (via tecta).
The sanctuary consisted of three main parts: the theater, which exploited the natural sloping of the land, a large square bordered by porticos and the actual temple. Following the decadence of the place of worship, the presence of water pipelines favoured the establishment of mills and foundries, as well as the first Italian hydroelectric plant and, finally, a paper mill. The Sanctuary therefore presents today an extraordinary patrimony of industrial archeology.
Istituto Autonomo Villa Adriana e Villa d’Este
Piazza Trento, 5 00019 - Tivoli (RM)
Tel: +39 0774 312070
Email: va-ve@beniculturali.it
