Ancient Rome Gives Us Domus Aurea - Nero’s Golden House
Posted by Eran Malloch
Recently Rome opened the Golden House of Nero to public viewing and it is an attraction not to be missed. It is interesting that the ruins were discovered long ago during the Renaissance but it was in the late 20th century that they were prepared to be seen by you and I.
Nero’s luxurious home was built after the famous fire that almost wiped out Rome while Nero fiddled. Nero built his palace in 64 AD and turned it into a storehouse of riches and art works. When it was at its finest, there was gold foil everywhere and the ceilings were covered with fine gems and ivory. But these lovely things were stripped from the palace after Nero’s death.
Some trivia is that the palace covered over 300 acres which included a private lake and rich crops and the extravagant house. However, the palace was not really a home like we think of it because even though it had hundreds of rooms, it had no bedrooms. This is not to say that many times people didn’t just pass out and sleep there during Nero’s wild parties.
One of the amazing art works that is now located outside the Colosseum was a magnificent 40m (130ft) high statue that was on the grounds of the house It was a triumphant image of Nero that he made to honor himself.
Time has taken its toll on the Palace of Nero, but it’s still worth taking a few hours to go on the audio tour that is offered. It’s a fascinating and satisfying tour and if you are in Rome in the fall, the city is friendly and the weather perfect.
A great way to take in this ancient structure is through the guided underground tour that goes lets you view the amazing paintings in the vaults and rooms. This is a rare chance to see artwork done by the famous artist Fabullus who used the Pompeii artistic style.
Fabullus isn’t as well known to us but his work was inspirational to Michelangelo and Raphael as well as diverse characters like Casanova and the Marquis de Sade. So keep a sharp eye out because these historic characters actually signed the walls of Nero’s house and you may see those signatures on your tour.
In some cases the ruins are hard to make out and the artwork is still shrouded in ruins. But you won’t be disappointed because you will also see some amazing artwork fully restored on the ornate walls where the artist painted them hundreds of years ago.
You will get a good exposure to grotto style rooms during your tour. But when you enter the amazing Octagon room, it will be a true highlight of the day. This room showed Nero’s admiration of that famous emperor and the Dying Gaul statue that was housed there, that can now be seen elsewhere at the Palazzo Altemps museum.
You can conclude your tour with a view of the lush gardens. And don’t miss seeing a replica of the original octagonal room. It will help you feel what life in the ancient Golden House of Nero must have been like so long ago.
Tags: Travel
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