Domus Aurea, Ancient Roman palace in Monti, Rome, Italy
Domus Aurea was a massive imperial palace spanning from the Palatine to the Oppian Hill, with underground rooms decorated in frescoes, marble and gemstones. The surviving vaults and halls spread across several levels, showing remains of roughly three hundred different chambers.
Nero ordered the palace built from the year 64 after the great fire, with architects Severus and Celer completing the project in four years. Later Trajan had the complex filled in to build his bath above it, which preserved the rooms underground.
Renaissance artists including Raphael and Pinturicchio studied the excavated rooms, leading to the development of grotesque painting style in 16th-century art.
Visitors can explore select rooms of the archaeological complex only through guided tours, with protective helmets distributed at the entrance. The rooms lie underground and can be cool and damp, so warm clothing is advisable even in summer.
The octagonal dining hall had a rotating ceiling mechanism that turned continuously while servants dropped flower petals and sprayed perfumes on guests. The grotto was only rediscovered in the 15th century when a young man fell through a hole in the ground and found the painted walls.
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