Ostia Antica vs Hadrian's Villa/Tivoli

Yes, absolutely. Train and bus works well. You could do OA in an afternoon whereas the Villa/Tivoli is fun day activity with much long travel times. They are totally comparable either. OA is very quiet, peaceful, park like sitting - very relaxing and enjoyable with few tourists. The fountains at Tivoli are terrific and well worth the visit but it will be packed with tourists and the usual sightseeing hassle. Probably a function of your available time and mood.

I was in Tivoli last June on a weekday (3, actually) and it was not very crowded at all. Luck of the draw, I guess. I did not get to Hadrian's Villa on that trip.

We haven't been to Tivoli but we were in Ostia Antica last May. It was a great place and not too many "tourists," but there were HORDES of school children on field trips. You couldn't get the near the restrooms or cafe.

Ostia Antica is more comparable to Pompeii and much easier to get to by metro/train (1 transit ticket gets you there). Hadrian's villa is interesting but smaller, and the bus connection from Tiburtina was a little tricky. Didn't go to Tivoli gardens. If I had to choose between Ostia Antica and Hadrian's villa, I'd go to Ostia Antica.

Ostia Antica is easy to get to. It wasn't terribly busy when I visited in late May, 2015. However, except for the café I don't remember any shade. If you are traveling during peak season and hit a hot spell, I'd suggest getting a very early start.

There are trees here and there, with most of them being in the cafe area and the theatre area. There is an asphalt road that runs between the entrance and the cafe which is fairly shady (versus the ancient road down the middle of the ruins which is not paved, except for some ancient stones, and is full sun).

Eve, please note that some replies here seem to have conflated Hadrian's Villa, a Roman monument, with the Villa D'Este, a Renaissance villa and fountain-gardens. They are BOTH in the town of Tivoli, which is the source of the confusion. Some people do them both on the same day, because there is technically (if not reliably scheduled) public transportation between them. They are not even close to walkable from each other.

Because I haven't been to OA, I won't answer your question. I would comment that because HV is a luxurious private estate, (I mean, in the Emperor's time) it's not really comparable to a TOWN, like Pompeii or OA. I will also say that the part of HV I most wanted to see, the Maritime Theater (it has other names) was closed for reconstruction when we were there. It's less than 2% of the site, but I really wanted to see it.

Eve, we enjoyed Villa d'Este a few years ago. The gardens in the springtime were lovely with flowers and the fountains were the most interesting I've seen. I would recommend it highly. Haven't made it to HV or OA but I don't think you can go wrong with whatever you choose. :)

Thanks everyone for responding. I'd like my last half or entire day in Italy to be devoted to either/or but I can't make my mind up on which one to see. I do understand that they are different animals and extraordinary in their own rights. It's a first world problem, that's for sure. I love history, historical houses, archaeological sights...so you see, my tastes are varied. Or should I devote that last day to reflect on my time in Italy and to relax? I just don't want to regret missing something. And Ostia does seem to be easier to get to by public transportation on my own. But the houses/historical properties in Tivoli are something I'd like to see sometime, if not this trip.

The town of Tivoli also has the Villa Gregoriana, a waterfall, a castle (closed), and many dining choices.

Eve, I've never been to HV or OA. I am making plans to go to OA in May while in Rome, but I also know that due to weather, exhaustion or new options, I may never make it there. I always plan at least 2-3 places more than I know I'll get to. This is because I a) enjoy the planning, b) would prefer to research logistics in US on my own laptop, c) think that if the travel gods are happy with me everything will line up and I'll get to see it all! When I'm actually there, I'll make my decision and I'll be armed with the information I need. And, knowing me, I'll end up someplace I never thought about and didn't plan for. sigh...contentment.

It wasn't terribly busy when I visited in late May, 2015. However, except for the café I don't remember any shade.

We might have seen you there in late May 2015. My recollection is a bit different, though -- many areas of Ostia Antica were refreshingly shaded by the fragrant umbrella pine trees. Very enjoyable, low-key, low-stress visit. Photos here.

No need to wonder whether there are trees at Ostia Antica. Take a look for yourself:
https://goo.gl/maps/aaWT1GaV3on
and here: https://goo.gl/maps/soqnxR3joAE2

Lots and lots of trees.

Golly, there are a lot of trees in those pictures! Just shows how unreliable my memory can be. I was walking in the sun virtually the entire time, though. (And I do wear a hat, but it was still hot.)

These pictures are making me want to go to Ostia Antica. We have some "free" time available on our upcoming trip that I was planning to use to explore Rome. OA looks like it could be a fun way to spend half a day. Only comparable thing (if it is even comparable, I don't know) that we've visited was Italica outside of Sevilla in Spain. We really enjoyed that so I'd imagine we'd enjoy OA, too.

I would vote for Ostia Antica. We really enjoyed that day. I found this guide on-line which was very helpful when we went a few years ago. It lists the directions of how to get from Rome to Ostia Antica, plus general advice along with lots of info of the history & a map of the layout on the last page.

http://www.ostia-antica.org/touristguide.pdf

There are trees at Ostia Antica, but not many along the path of architectural ruins where you might spend most of your time stopping to look at something. Be sure to take water along as you walk.

Although Italica is an excellent visit, it's only similarities to the sites under discussion here are the relentless sun and heat! These are much more substantial "cities."

I will add that Hadrian's Villa has a respectable amount of shade and greenery, in comparison with Pompeii. It is very, very large, even though it is not a "city." Depending on time of day and local business conditions, lunch might be a problem at Hadrian's Villa. We saw a nice restaurant that was open, on the long walk from the Rome bus stop.

Edit: I don't quarrel with anything in Chani's nicely detailed post two down from here. But no one should take away that there's not enough to see at Hadrian's Villa. It's huge, and good for a full day if you really wanted to see every inch. Much of it is taller than anything at Pompeii or Herculaneum. I'm talking about as tall as The Baths of Caracalla. Half a day is fine, too.

Thanks so much, everyone! I think I've decided to spend my last day in Italy at OA. At least the morning half and then I'll wander back to Rome for the rest of the day. I'm so excited that I can't even think straight! Less than 3 weeks now! Snoopy dance!

I went to Ostia a few years ago and used Rick's audio guide. Really interesting and an easy trip from Rome by metro (one train change).

Last month, I finally got to Villa d'Este and Hadrian's Villa. The transportation was tricky - not all that simple and from what I read, not all that reliably on-schedule. So I signed up for an all-day tour with Enjoy Rome, one of the outfits recommended in the RS Italy guide. We went first to Hadrian's Villa and had about 2 hours there. The guide explained what we were seeing, explained the connection between this ancient site and Villa d'Este and pointed out those bits that we should keep in mind when we got to the newer villa. We had enough time to take photos. It felt like we saw everything there. After a short drive to Tivoli, we had about an hour for lunch and/or to wander around the town. Most of us chose lunch at the guide-recommended restaurant, reasonable prices and good food and service. Then we toured Villa d'Este. Even though we spent about 2 hours there, I would have liked to have at least another hour there. From there we got on the tour bus and drove back to Rome. I suppose I could have opted to stay in the villa, then spent time walking around Tivoli and return to Rome on my own by bus.

Looking back, I enjoyed Ostia a lot more. Hadrian built a luxury villa (a few bits and pieces remain) and a wealthy cardinal came along in the 16th century and built a very similar luxury villa and garden (which is pretty much as built, just weather-worn). Walking through Ostia you see a real 2000 year old city.

I would also vote for Ostia Antica, although I did not get to Hadrian'ss Villa, I spent 3-4 hours wandering the ruins at Ostia. There are trees, and you can get out of the sun by going into the buildings, but it does get hot. There is a water fountain near the amphitheatre you can top up at. The nice thing about this site is that very little of it is roped off (mostly the places where there are mosaics they don't want people to walk on) so you can climb all over it. You will encounter school groups, but they seemed to stick to the area around the theatre. Take Rick Steves advice and when you get there walk all the way to the back of the site and make your way forward. I noticed not may people went all the way to the back and many of the more complete buildings are back there. There is a café just near the train station, and if I were to go again I would probably purchase a sandwich there on my way to the site as the crowds when I was leaving, and hungry, were pretty large at the food stops.

Enroute to Ostia Antica you transfer from the Metro to the Lido rail line at the Piramide/Porta San Paolo stop. Take advantage of the opportunity to go outside and see the Piazza di Porto San Paolo.

The gleaming Pyramid of Cestius (c. 12 BC) is across the street, as is the 3rd Century Porta San Paolo. In more recent history, the piazza was the scene of the September 1943 battle between Italian partigiani and Nazi troops invading Rome from the south, days after the armistice between Italy and the Allies. A monument to the heroes of that battle can be seen on the end of the Aurelian wall on the east side of the piazza.

Thanks for the tip, Jeff! That sounds awesome!