Ancient Rome Gives Us Domus Aurea - Nero’s Golden House

Recently an important attraction in Rome was opened for public viewing again. While the Golden House of Nero is not at its full splendor, it has been carefully restored. It was during the Renaissance that these ruins were found. But a huge project to restore them was carried out at the end of the last century.

History tells us that after that famous burning of Rome as Nero fiddled, this magnificent structure was built. When archaeologists discovered it, they learned that in its glory, much of the interior was covered with gold, and gorgeous jewels and ivory were inlaid in the ceiling. But you won’t see those treasures because they were stripped from the house after Nero died.

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 artistic marvel that stood at the site was a magnificent statue of Nero. This huge figure stood 40m (130ft) high. But it was moved to the Coliseum, just leaving the bronze base behind.

Time has taken its toll on the palace but there is a lot of great things to see when you visit the house. Not only is seeing the Palace a delight but Rome is such a delightful and welcoming city. And in Rome often the weather is as delightful as the sights.

One of the best tours of the Palace of Nero is audio guided, and you will go underground to see the huge vaults and rooms covered with amazing artwork. The world famous artist Fabullus did a lot of the frescoes of the house using a very popular style he learned in Pompeii, that ultimately doomed city.

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.

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