Hadrian's Villa, Tivoli: Detail, part of the Imperial Palace

Hadrian's villa was a complex of over 30 buildings, covering an area of at least 1 square kilometre (ca. 250 acres) of which much is still unexcavated. The villa was the greatest Roman example of an Alexandrian garden, recreating a sacred landscape. The complex included palaces, several thermae, theatre, temples, libraries, state rooms and quarters for courtiers, praetorians and slaves. There were pools and an artificial canal (119 x 18 m), built in imitation of the one that linked Alexandria and Canopus.