Finding Peace with The Emperor Hadrian

At the centre of Hadrian’s Villa complex in Tivoli stands the remains of the Maritime Theatre. When I first viewed it, circled the glassy green water filled with carp and turtles, I immediately felt I understood something about what it meant to be at peace. The Maritime Theatre originally connected to the rest of the estate by a drawbridge, and inside the moat was a small, albeit highly functional villa. In my imagination, Hadrian walks into this space and finds sanctuary, an oasis which could not be found elsewhere in the empire.

Hadrian was something of a pre-figurative renaissance man, and the extensive surviving remains of his villa provides a huge insight into the interests he had in entertainment, art, and personal peace. The neat distinction between his exterior and interior world is, to me, perfectly summed up by him pulling up that drawbridge. When it was time to be alone, he knew he could find sanctuary.

I admit that I’ve struggled to find my own sense of peace lately. I find my mind wandering back to the image of the Maritime Theatre, the notion of secluding myself entirely for as long as I need. In my mind, if I stop exposing myself to the world, nothing bad can happen to me. I know it isn’t true. I wish it could be in any way true.

I think what I keep trying to tell myself is that ignorance could be bliss. If…