Antiquarian texts

Biondo Flavio
Roma Ristaurata et Italia Illustrata di Biondo da Forlì. Tradotta in buona lingua volgare per Lucio Fauno. In Vinegia appresso a Domenico Giglio 1558

Totaro L.
"Pio II e i suoi commentarii: un contributo alla lettura della autobiografia di Enea Silvio Piccolomini". Bologna 1978 pp. 235

Pirro Ligorio - Descrittione
Descrittione della superba et magnificentissima Villa Hadriana.

Pirro Ligorio - Codice di Torino
De la Villa Hadriana Tiburtina - Libro o vero trattato delle Antichità XXII di Phyrro Ligorio Patritio Napoletano et Cittadino Romani nel quale si dichiarano alcune famose Ville et particolarmente della Antica Città di Tibure et di alcuni monumenti. Archivio di Stato di Torino a II 7 J20 fol 30r-55.

Pirro Ligorio - Trattato
Trattato delle Antichità di Tivoli et della Villa Hadriana fatto da Pyrrho Ligorio Patritio Napoletano et dedicato all'Ill.mo Cardinal di Ferrara. Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Cod. Vat. Lat. 5295 fol. 1r - 32 v.

The Turin Codex is Ligorio's only autograph codex, all the others are copies. The precious Ligorian Codices are the oldest description that we have of Villa Adriana. The one in Turin is the most recent and complete, but there are no plans of the buildings referred to in the text: some sheets were left blank for a general plan of the Villa which Ligorio never completed.
The Codices have many scholarly quotations, descriptions of how the ancient Romans lived, and fantastic digressions on Greek mythology. But they also provide valuable information on the excavations, the sculptures found and the features of the buildings.
The scholars that did not read his writings often accuse Ligorio of being imaginative. Those who have read it and visited the Villa knowing his texts saw that his descriptions are real as regards the marbles and the appearance of the buildings.

Del Re A.
Dell'antichità tiburtine. Roma 1611

Contini F.
Hadriani Caesaris immanem in agro tiburtino villam. Roma 1668
This is the first complete general plan drawn by Francesco Contini for Cardinal Barberini in 1668, divided in ten plates. With a brief description of the buildings and the name of the various owners of the land plots into which had been divided. It was not an elaboration of the plan by Ligorio – which probably never existed – as it is usually believed.

Kircher A.
Latium Latii tum veteris tum novi. Historica descriptio. Amsterdam 1671 pp. 145-154.
It has the same plan of Villa Hadriana by Contini 1668, which joins together the ten plates of Contini.

Kircher A.
Id est nova et parallela Latii tum veteris tum novi descriptio. Amstelodami 1671, Villa Adriana

Volpi G.R.
Vetus Latium Profanum Tomus decimus in quo agitur de tiburtibus seu tiburtinis. Auctore Josepho Rocco Vulpio soc. Jesu sacerdote. Pars Altera. Romae MDCCXLV, pp. 389-427

Contini F.
Pianta della villa tiburtina di Adriano Cesare. Roma 1751 (Ristampa)
It is the plan Contini of 1668 re-edited in 1751 because it was very rare. It is one single large sheet, without the names of the owners, that had changed.

Furietti G.A.
De Musivis. Roma 1752
About the discovery of the Dove Mosaic in the Accademia.

Ristori Gabbrielli G.
Pianta della possessione spettante al Conte Fede, 1770
Plan, map and drawings of the part of the Villa which in the XVIII century belonged to Count Giuseppe Fede, who made excavations and restorations in his property. The map shows the myriad of small properties that insisted on the grounds of the Villa, and is extremely important to understand who were the owners.

Cabral S. - Del Re F.
Delle ville e dei più notabili monumenti antichi della città e del territorio di Tivoli 1779
A generic description of the Villa and its surroundings.

Piranesi G.B.
Pianta delle fabbriche esistenti nella Villa Adriana - Roma 1781 (published after his death by his son Francesco)
Together with Contini's plan of 1668, it is still fundamental today because it distinguishes the visible parts from the restored ones, marks the rooms with numbers and describes them in the legends. You can see details of buildings that have now disappeared or are no longer visible because they are hidden by vegetation or deteriorated. A treasure trove of information about the owners, excavations and discoveries.

Fea C.
Miscellanea filologica critica ed antiquaria dell'Avvocato Fea. Notizie di antichità ricavate dalle opere dell'Abate Francesco Ficoroni. Roma 1790

Moroni
Musivorum quae Bergomi in Comitis Equitis Antonii Moroni Aedibus asservantur. Historica Descriptio. Bergamo 1791

De' Bardi G.
Della imperial Villa Adriana e di altre sontuosissime già adiacenti alla città di Tivoli. 1825

Rossini L.
Antichità dei contorni di Roma, ossia le più famose città del Lazio: Tivoli, Albano, Castelgandolfo, Palestrina, Tuscolo, Cora, Ferentino. Roma 1826

Fea C.
Miscellanea filologica, critica e antiquaria dell'Avv. Carlo Fea. Notizie di antichità ricavate dalle opere dell'Abate Francesco Ficoroni. Tomo II 1827
Brief information concerning the most famous sculpture or mosaic found in the Villa in the XVIII and XIX centuries.

Nibby A.
Descrizione della Villa Adriana - Roma 1827
A detailed description of the Villa, quoting previous texts, together with a good mapp.

Sebastiani F.A.
Viaggio a Tivoli, antichissima città latino sabina, fatto nel 1825. Foligno 1828

Penna A.
Viaggio pittorico della Villa Adriana Roma - vol. I-IV 1830-1836.
A real pictorial itinerary of the Villa, with beautyful engravings that are a precious documentation of its state of preservation at the beginnings of the XIX century. Other engravings of statues and mosaics make this a precious tool to identify them.

Bulgarini F.
Notizie storico antiquarie statistiche ed agronomiche intorno all'antichissima città di Tivoli e suo territorio. Roma 1848
Written by a descendant of the Bulgarini family, who since the XVI century own the Accademia and live in a Casino built on a part of it, this book gives very important information on ancient excavations and also about Tivoli and other roman antiquities in the surrounding area.

Nibby A.
Analisi storico topografico antiquaria della carta de' dintorni di Roma III - Roma 1849, pp. 647-706.
Same text as the 'Descrizione' (also by Nibby) gives the same information.
Nicodemi M.A.
Storia di Tivoli. 1926