Domus Aurea was the largest palace Rome has ever seen.
It wasn’t in service long, however. After the unpopular Nero fled Rome, and committed suicide in June of AD 68, Emperor Trajan had the place filled in with earth in order to build baths above it. Thanks to that, the Domus is very well-preserved.
Today, a tour of the complex is highly recommended.
The Domus Aurea isn’t just a house. At one time it was a whole complex, like an entertainment mall for a man had way too much of the country’s resources at his disposal. You can get the whole story from the extraordinary site called The Colosseum which has a lot of info for us history/archaeology geeks and makes a fine intro to the Colosseum area in Rome, and includes a concise information page on the adjacent DOMVS AVREA. (There, doesn’t that look Roman?)
Among the other things there was an amphitheatre, a market, and bath-gymnasium complex, served by an aqueduct 75 Km (50 miles) long.
I told you it was more than just a house. Nero-Disney, coming to an eroding hillside near you.
About Those Grotesques
When on the tour, you’ll pass many walls decorated with oddly familiar grotesques. The story of how they came to be passed down through the ages in pretty amazing.
You see, during the High Renaissance, the artist Raphael ‘invented the grotesque’ by lowering himself into the cupola and copying its extraordinary frescoes.
Wealth and More Roman Archaeology
If all this excess wealth makes your skin crawl, you can always head out to a real and ancient port city and imagine the foul language used by the boys as they unloaded cargo. I’m talking about Ostia Antica, one of my favorite archaeological sites in Italy.
Domus Aurea Tickets and Tours
You can purchase tickets for Domus Aurea tours here: Rome: Domus Aurea Guided Walking Tour