The circular temple of Vesta (Ist century BC) at Tivoli (a village in the mountains North of Rome) was a great inspiration for artists and architects.

The place was a favourite subject for painters. Drawings of it were published by Renaissance architects such as Palladio (the architect of influential buildings in the Venetian region and the author of a widespread treatise on architecture).

It inspired numerous garden temples in Britain.

These various perceptions of the temple at Tivoli raise questions as to the