Wildenfels Castle was built in the late 12th century. From 1602 to 1945 it was owned by Solms-Wildenfels counts. Thanks to its many cultural treasures, the castle is today a national attraction at the foot of the Erzgebirge mountains. These include the castle gallery, banqueting hall, wedding room, former count’s library and various museum rooms. Another highlight is the “Blue Salon”, which was named after its wall decoration of precious blue silk tapestries from the early 18th century.
The Villa d'Este is a 16th-century villa in Tivoli, near Rome, famous for its terraced hillside Italian Renaissance garden and especially for its profusion of fountains: the extraordinary system contains fifty-one fountains and nymphaeums, 398 spouts, 364 water jets, 64 waterfalls, and 220 basins, fed by 875 meters of canals, channels and cascades, and all working entirely by the force of gravity, without pumps. It is now an Italian state museum, and is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.
Tivoli had been a popular summer residence since ancient Roman times due to its altitude, cooler temperatures and its proximity to the Villa Hadriana, the summer residence of the Emperor Hadrian I.
The Villa was commissioned by Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este (1509-1572), second son of Alfonso I d'Este, the Duke of Ferrara and grandson of Pope Alexander VI, along with Lucrezia Borgia.