The Domus Aurea in Rome: All you need to know before visiting

25 January 2025
Rome Travel GuideIs Domus Aurea worth visiting?
It’s hard to imagine that in Rome, there’s a 1st-century AD Imperial villa that’s almost perfectly preserved. And not just any villa, t belonged to Emperor Nero and still has vast halls and breathtaking frescoes. Here’s what you need to know and why it’s a must-visit. If you’re planning a trip to Rome, book your Domus Aurea tour in advance so you don’t miss the chance to see it!
What is the Domus Aurea?
Today, the Domus Aurea is one of the most exclusive archaeological sites in Rome, giving you a glimpse into the Imperial Rome of Emperor Nero. It’s made up of huge halls and corridors, many of which are decorated with amazing frescoes. You can also see traces of fine marble slabs on the lower parts of the walls. Some of the frescoes show mythological scenes that Nero was really into, as he was an eccentric but cultured guy, especially passionate about Greek culture. If you want to learn more about his complex character, you can check out the Critical Biography of Emperor Nero. For cool visual effects, Nero’s architects used creative materials like shells for texture and gold leaves to create shimmering light reflections.
This mix of luxury and creativity made the Domus Aurea a real architectural and decorative masterpiece. It’s still an incredible reminder of Nero’s ambitions and the artistic and technological achievements of Imperial Rome. Therefore it's absolutely worth visiting the Domus Aurea.
Why is Nero's palace called Domus Aurea, Latin expression for "Golden House"?
It doesn’t seem surprising that an imperial villa of such beauty, luxury, and sophistication would be associated with gold, quite the opposite. Nevertheless, there are two plausible theories regarding the origin of the name of Nero’s palace. The first is suggested by the historian Suetonius, who wrote about 50 years after Nero’s death, describing it in the following way: everything was covered in gold and adorned with gems and mother-of-pearl. "The ceilings of the dining rooms were made of movable and perforated ivory panels, allowing flowers and perfumes to rain down from above. The main hall was circular and revolved on its own axis throughout the day and night, never stopping, just like the Earth."
The second theory, however, is more refined and centers around the spectacular and sophisticated use of light within the Domus Aurea. This approach to light was remarkably modern: the halls, porticoes, their layout, their interplay, along with the decorations and small but richly colored stained-glass windows in the porticoes, all were meticulously designed to create rich tapestries of light. These light effects multiplied into infinite chromatic shades, beautifully shaping the space. It was a feast for the eyes, a mesmerizing experience for an emperor who was temperamental, capricious, and megalomaniacal, yet possessed an undeniable artistic sensibility. In short, a light as precious as gold—hence the name Domus Aurea.
When was it built?
The construction of the Domus Aurea began no earlier than the autumn or late 64 AD, following the devastating fire that struck Rome in July of that year, destroying two-thirds of the city. At the time, Rome is a true metropolis with over one million inhabitants, the largest city of antiquity and by far the largest within the vast empire it governes. Entire sections of Imperial Rome are reduced to ashes in what is the worst fire in the city’s history. Among the affected areas are those surrounding the Palatine Hill, where Emperor Nero, like his predecessors, has his immense imperial residence, which is spared from the flames. The Domus Transitoria, the extension of the palace already largely built by Nero, is instead destroyed. It stretched from the Palatine Hill to the Esquiline Hill, toward the area of what is now Termini Station.
Nero’s response and actions following the fire are complex, some effective, others glaringly inadequate. Funding for the city’s reconstruction is insufficient, but what truly outrages the Romans is the emperor’s decision to take large portions of land adjacent to the Palatine Hill, the seat of his imperial residence, to vastly expand his residence with the construction of the sprawling Domus Aurea. Today, only a small part of this grand complex has been excavated and is accessible to visitors today.
The Domus Aurea is described by the historian Suetonius, writing about 50 years after Nero’s death, as follows: "A house whose size and elegance these details should be sufficient to relate: Its courtyard was so large that a 120-foot colossal statue of the emperor himself stood there; it was so spacious that it had a mile-long triple portico; also there was a pool of water like a sea, that was surrounded by buildings which gave it the appearance of cities; and besides that, various rural tracts of land with vineyards, cornfields, pastures, and forests, teeming with every kind of animal both wild and domesticated".
La Domus Aurea was an enormous architectural complex of about 80 hectares, stretching from the Palatine Hill to the Esquiline Hill, covering the Oppian Hill and part of the Caelian Hill. It consisted of a series of buildings with elegant courtyards surrounded by magnificent porticoes, onto which opened spacious halls finely adorned with frescoes in a variety of styles and themes. The lower sections of the walls were decorated with precious marbles of different colours, sourced from various regions of the empire, including Egypt. For a total of about 200 rooms.
Where is it located?
It's right near the Colosseum, on the Oppian Hill, but today it's underground, as explained later in this article. At the center of the Domus Aurea, there was even an artificial lake, complete with an elegant boat where Emperor Nero hosted banquets with his guests. On the shore of the lake stood a colossal gilded bronze statue, about 33 meters tall, representing the emperor himself. After Nero's suicide and the Senate's decree of condemnation of his memory (damnatio memoriae in Latin), the new emperor Vespasian decided to build the Colosseum, a structure dedicated to gladiatorial combat, on the site of the lake, located at the lowest point of the valley surrounded by the hills.
What was the Domus Aurea built for?
Certainly, the works of classical art in the current collections of the Louvre or the Vatican Museums, recovered from Ancient Rome and carefully restored but still marked by the centuries, cannot even remotely compete with the perfection and integrity of the works exhibited in the Golden House. The Domus Aurea was in fact built as a luxurious art gallery, and it was the most luxurious and refined art gallery of Ancient Rome, even if it was intended for only one man and never completed, therefore perhaps minimally enjoyed by both the emperor and the few of his dignitaries and friends. And very little even by the emperors who succeeded Nero, who were intent on distancing themselves from a place that had become a symbol of the waste of public money and of depravity.
Nero's art collection displayed in the Domus Aurea must have been truly exquisite and of unparalleled richness for two key reasons. Nero was the fifth emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, started by Augustus, the first emperor of Rome, a great statesman but also a man of profound culture and an art lover. We also know that Tiberius, the second emperor of Rome, was an art collector, and his villa on Capri was filled with masterpieces. This artistic heritage was naturally inherited by Nero, who greatly expanded the collection with thousands of new acquisitions.
The precise origins of many of these masterpieces remain debated, but ancient historians, including Suetonius and Pliny the Elder, suggest that Nero acquired much of the collection by seizing treasures from temples, public spaces, and private collections across the Roman Empire, especially from Greece and Asia Minor, rich in such works. The spoils of conquest and lavish commissions also contributed to filling the Domus Aurea.
Even though there is no certainty, it seems reasonable that the large basin—an enormous porphyry tub in the Round Hall of the Vatican Museums—comes from Nero's Palace, specifically from the courtyard of the West Wing, which has recently been added to the Domus Aurea visitor route.
The famous sculpture of Laocoön - the statue of the priest and his two sons being attacked by serpents - was also very likely part of the Domus collection. However, it was not found exactly inside the palace but in the area of the Baths of Trajan, a vast multifunctional complex built partly over the Domus, which had been buried at the time of the baths' construction.
Why is the Domus Aurea underground today?
At the beginning of 68 AD, less than four years after the devastating fire of July 64, Rome's economic and social situation is dire. Nero still has the army on his side, but he has lost the support of the people and the Senate. During the Empire, a dictatorship, the Senate’s power is much weaker than it was in the Republic, but in times of crisis, it can still rally opposition against the emperor. And so, in early 68 AD, the Senate declares Nero a public enemy. Abandoned even by his own army, he takes his own life in June of that same year.
The new emperor, Vespasian Flavius, who isn’t part of Augustus’ family, is just as skilled in warfare as he is in running the state. Right away, he focuses on rebuilding Rome, including starting the construction of the Colosseum. It’s built right where the artificial lake of the Domus Aurea used to be, meaning part of Nero’s palace is dismantled, hough only a small section. Still, most of the complex remains standing for a few more decades. However, it doesn’t seem like later emperors make much use of its grand spaces, likely because they’re too closely tied to Nero’s excessive power.
t was Emperor Trajan who decided, in the early 2nd century AD, less than 40 years after Nero’s death, to completely erase all traces of him from Rome. He had the Domus Aurea buried, turning it into the foundation for his baths, a massive multi-functional complex for sports and social activities.
A long night of nearly 1,500 years fell over the Domus Aurea.
How to Buy Tickets and How Long is a Tour?
The Domus Aurea is open for visits every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, except on the first Sunday of the month.
You can buy tickets for the Domus Aurea on the official website of the Colosseum Archaeological Park on the page: https://ticketing.colosseo.it/en/eventi/domus-aurea-visita-guidata/. Unfortunately, tickets sell out almost immediately after going on sale, which happens about a month before the tour date.
A good Domus Aurea tour lasts around two hours since the architectural complex is huge. The halls and frescoes deserve plenty of time to be fully appreciated, giving you an incredible glimpse into Imperial Rome.
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