The Sanctuary of Hercules Victor

Open to the public only since a few years ago, we suggest you to explore the site with a guided tour. This one-of-a-kind place, where classical and industrial archaeology merge into each other, has always been part of the history of Tivoli through the centuries. Once you reach Via Tecta, just close your eyes and feel this silent gallery bustling again with shepherds practicing transhumance followed by their flocks protected by Hercules, workers of the arms factory producing harquebuses for the Pope, and women grinding rags for paper production. Sit back in the stands of the Theater and enjoy the show!

A special turret, that is part of a more recent structure, has characterized the shape of the Sanctuary since the 1880s. This is the Torretta Canevari, end point of the homonymous canal, which supplied the water of the Aniene River in order to have it converted into electricity. You will be surprised to know that the first hydroelectric plant in Italy was actually built a few meters away from the Sanctuary of Hercules, and that in 1886 Tivoli was the first city to be lit by electricity in the whole country! A few years later, the alternating current was brought for the first time from one city to another. This is how Tivoli started lighting Rome! Electrifying, isn’t it?