We had a spell of hot weather, with highs in the high 80’s, so we decided to visit some gardens, figuring they would have a little bit of shade.

And they did. We visited Villa Lante on Saturday, in the town of Bagnaia, and Villa Este on Monday, in the town of Tivoli. Lante had the more ornate mansion, but Este had the better gardens, full of whimsical and fancy water features and fountains.