On Monday we went in 40 degree heat to Villa DÉste & Villa Adriano. Let me just say - not our smartest move! The tour left at 3pm so you'd be forgiven for thinking that the worst of the day's heat was over - umm, no!

We took an air-conditioned bus ride out of Rome to the hills of Tivoli, where we passed the Travertine marble quarry. It was amazing to think that this quarry has been providing marble to Rome and the world for thousands of years. As we drove (fast again - is there any other driving speed in Italy?) we saw two small bushfires and the guide said somewhat proudly that this was the hottest day of the year so far. She then informed us that we'd be changing the itinerary around to visit Villa DÉste first or "we would die from the heat"!!

Villa DÉste was originally a roman house, then a convent and then a corrupt Cardinal chose it for his residence when he became Govenor of Tivoli and set about improving it to match the lifestyle his corrupt uncle (the Pope) had made him accustomed to. This included but was not limited to stealing all the marble from Villa Adriano!

To call the house grand is of course an understatement but most amazing of all were the gardens. All the fountains here (I think 15 main ones) are fed from underground supplies and need no pumping! Makes sense when you think that clearly the ancient Romans did not have electricity! The water is cool and we can both report that it's delicious. There are stepped paths, shady areas and of course water everywhere.

Villa Adriano was next on the tour and had we been anywhere other than a very long way from home we may have skipped it! The heat was oppressive and we later discovered humidity to be in the low 90's! The tour guide - ever resourceful - lied to the lady in the ticket office and got us permission to take the bus into the grounds to avoid the 500m uphill walk!

Villa Adriano was built as an Imperial Palace for Hadrian (the guy with the wall) to showcase all the sights he had seen around the world. He became quite famous for his designs in Rome and also designed his own Mausoleum which has a nice ring to it doesn't it?!

Obviously a ruin now - Hadrian built a massive complex to house he and his family as well as the guests & entourage that comes with running a country. As well as Roman baths (comes with separate pools for hot, cold and warm water), he also installed a greek bath which is really just a swimming pool surrounded by columns and statues! Interestingly, as well as all the above ground works, we saw the excavation of the massive maze of underground tunnels used by the servants. The hot Roman Bath for instance was heated from below using wood fires!

I guess the thing that keeps striking us here is firstly the intricacy of the work, everything has minute detail; secondly that so much of it has stood the test of time. Much of Rome seems to be covered in scaffolding but many of the buildings are 2000 years old so I think it is only to be expected

Lastly - Italian drivers are completely crazy. We've got the hang of taking them on when we cross at a pedestrian crossing - which they treat as both a suggestion only and an opportunity to play chicken (Italian drivers almost always win but you can't help but feel a little proud when you make them stop!). Yesterday as we crossed, it was amazing to see a woman ona scooter actually weave in and out of the pedestrians to get through. Parking is my favourite though, straight car, straight car, crazy angle nose first into the pavement (one tire on footpath), straight car, straight carJ