©MarinaDeFranceschini - Progetto Accademia
From the Greek Theater to the Gymnasium
It is the north-eastern area, the first seen the visit, located on the lowest level of the Villa, about m. 64 (above sea level) which reaches up to 74 m..
It is a sunken area that is cool in summer, naturally bounded to the east by the so-called Valley of Tempe, one of the names of ancient places mentioned in the Historia Augusta and taken up by antiquarian scholars.
Walking along the Valley of Tempe the first building is the Greek Theater (n. 1), near which was the Pantanello (n. 1b), where a very large number of sculptures was discovered in the eighteenth century.
Not far away is the so-called Gymnasium (Palestra) (n. 2) which has been excavated since 2000, but has never been opened to the public.
Near the Gymnasium the large retaining walls with buttresses of the Villa can be seen. They were built at the time of Hadrian, and support the Terrace of Tempe (n. 5) and the Terrace of the Golden Square (Piazza d’Oro) (n. 7). They reach as far as the Golden Square (n. 8), and border the east side of the villa.
Near the Gymnasium is the area where the Latin Theater (n. 3) is traditionally located, but in reality it never existed.
In this area, only the Greek Theater can be seen from the outside, the other buildings are not included in the visiting itinerary or are in a private property.