Hadrian's Villa

Hadrian's Villa is a destination on a New Year's Day excursion from Rome, and a setting for an encounter that draws Anne Elizabeth and Richard Ellsworth Savage closer. Paired with Tivoli and its waterfall, the ruins frame a contrast between Ed Schuyler and G. H. Barrow's talk of the Roman Empire and Anne Elizabeth's eagerness to get out and see the world.

Setting and Excursion

On January 1, a holiday, Richard Ellsworth Savage, Ed Schuyler, G. H. Barrow, and Anne Elizabeth hired a car and drove to Hadrian's Villa before continuing to Tivoli for lunch. The day was showery, and mud covered the roads. The winter Campagna, yellow and brown, reminded Anne Elizabeth of home along the Middlebuster. At a restaurant above the waterfall, the group ate fritto misto and drank Frascati wine. Ed Schuyler and G. H. Barrow discussed the Roman Empire and the ancients' art of life, making the classical past part of the excursion's conversation as well as its scenery.

The Visit to Tivoli

After lunch, Anne Elizabeth set off toward a small round temple on the hillside opposite the restaurant. Ed Schuyler thought the path too steep so soon after eating; G. H. Barrow followed without enthusiasm. Anne Elizabeth ran across the bridge and down the path, with Richard Ellsworth Savage chasing after her over loose gravel and puddles. At the bottom, cold mist from the waterfall hung in the air, and its roar made conversation a shout. When G. H. Barrow did not appear, Anne Elizabeth took Richard's hand and urged him up to the temple.

From the hillside they could see Ed Schuyler and G. H. Barrow still seated on the restaurant terrace. Anne Elizabeth waved to them and turned her attention to the ruins and landscape, saying she wanted to travel throughout Italy and see everything. Her impatience with the men left behind contrasts their discussion of ancient life with her desire for movement and discovery. Richard, meanwhile, had been made sore by what he saw as Anne Elizabeth's flirtation with G. H. Barrow over coffee; following her down the path shifts the scene from that silent jealousy to shared adventure.

Narrative Significance

The excursion recurs in Anne Elizabeth's account of falling for Richard. The old towns, rainy landscape, food, and flowers of the journey make Europe feel newly vivid to her, while Richard's talk and manner distinguish him from the men she has known. Hadrian's Villa therefore belongs not just to the itinerary but to a change in her attention: against the classical ruins and the others' conversation, she becomes absorbed by the prospect of travel and by Richard himself.