Venturing into The Getty Villa: A Hidden Gem for Art Lovers
Located at Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, The Getty Villa is a beautiful destination for those individuals interested in Greek & Roman antiquities, influencer-like Instagram shots, and frugal art students alike.

NOTE: This is a post inspired by #FlashbackFriday, where I reminisce about my past experiences for nostalgia, and also to practice my (rusty) writing skills. The events, prices, and other details mentioned are not necessarily accurate when reading. It’s best to assume the events, prices, and other details are from my previous personal experience unless I state otherwise that it is accurate at the time of writing.
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Pre-pandemic dreams
I have long since romanticized traveling to other countries in my mind, especially European destinations.

Romanticizing Europe in particular probably has to do with the fact that I don’t have a lot of memories from when I traveled to Germany & Switzerland as an impressionable toddler with my family. But also, what little memory I have managed to retain – or reconstruct, perhaps? – were a lot of fun (thanks mom & dad!)
Honestly, it could also just be the fact that as an international student studying in the US back in 2014, traveling anywhere in Europe felt so unattainable. A feeling reinforced by a mass shutdown of non-essential travel, during 2020.
Of course, most of that line of thinking was before I learned that with how big the US is, there was bound to be a dupe of most other countries somewhere. Even if it was just a small garden somewhere, or in this case, a villa. Although simply calling it a “dupe” like it’s a similar lipstick shade is inaccurate, and maybe even ludicrous.
Venturing into the Getty Villa
Back when I visited The Getty Villa in October 2014 it was, from the very first impression, simply beautiful. Although I didn’t know much about it. My art history professor mentioned it began from parts of an excavated villa in Italy imported to California by J. Paul Getty until it was expanded to become the museum it is today.
Though to be perfectly honest, I didn’t quite care beyond the fact that it was nice to be out & about rather than working on my midterm art projects AND the fact that entry was free.
I was fortunate enough to be able to carpool with a classmate, who was similarly interested in writing an extra credit paper for our shared art history class. We had arrived so close to opening time that we were one of the first few visitors there so we decided to simply enjoy the ambiance and appreciate the view.
Not even the looming due date of our essays (extra credit and otherwise) could dampen the serenity we found in the gardens of the Getty Villa.
Of course, the architecture & the nature of the artwork on display could’ve put the “extra” in our extra credit. The Getty Villa exuded an air of extravagance – not quite a surprise since the architecture & art were from (or inspired by) the country that boasted the Roman Empire after all.
Yet it still felt, somehow, tastefully done rather than feeling tacky. Which surprisingly undercut the authenticity of it, to be honest. After all, it’s not as if they were famed for tasteful minimalism. Even a non-history buff like me knew they were famed for a sense of extravagance & excess that (among other things) helped bring down an empire.

One of the most memorable parts of our visit was the vast number of statues of Greek/Roman gods & goddesses. As a fan of Greek mythology (thanks to the fun soundtrack of Disney’s Hercules), I privately amused myself by trying to guess “Which Greek god/goddess is this?” without reading the accompanying information cards. I didn’t exactly keep a score, so I don’t remember if I did well or not.
But alas, real life had to assert itself sooner or later, and we had noticed that more guests had started to arrive. We decided to focus on scoping out our potential essay topics – I believe we had to choose a piece from a certain collection, or room – and writing down our notes.
I wish I could say we took photos of our chosen piece, but it might have been a no-photo room (or at least we thought so) since I couldn’t find a non-outdoor photo from my phone at the time of writing. Plenty of garden though!
With our primary goal at the Getty Villa accomplished, we spent our remaining time casually strolling through other rooms, and another detour through the beautiful garden for a “proof of visit” photo for each of us.
Apparently, some students lie in their essays about whether they actually went through a self-directed field trip for educational purposes. Who knew?

Granted, as our essay in particular was to be about a specific piece of artwork rather than the location or even the experience itself, I wasn’t quite sure what the big deal was. But I’m hardly one to turn down an opportunity to dress up and take a stroll anywhere pretty, so it was no hardship for me to go.
Food at the Getty Villa
Lastly, my classmate and I decided to treat ourselves to lunch from the cafe on site, which was simply called “The Cafe at the Getty Villa.” Fair enough.
I believe I had bought the Greek Chicken wrap (naturally) for myself and I distinctly remember it being delicious, if overpriced. The first half of which I shared with my companion while keeping the other half of that thought pretty much to myself until writing this.
I’m pretty sure my classmate also praised the taste of her food, though less sure if she also thought it to be overpriced or not.
Was it worth seeing?
The Getty Villa was definitely worth a visit. All in all, it was a great day and an even greater experience, even though we were there for extra credit homework that, strictly speaking, I didn’t need to do. But our little venture scratched an itch I didn’t even realize I had.
While I may not enjoy socializing with most people, I enjoy dressing up and going out. At the time, I hadn’t realized how restless I’d felt. I was stuck in the loop of going to school and back home, with very little deviation thanks to a busy schedule.

Otherwise, I’m also glad I went as it was one of the first few times my eyes were opened to the fact that there was more to California than Disneyland and beaches. Plus, finally seeing some greenery that was actually green – as opposed to brown greenery, of course – was quite refreshing.





