The grandeur of old is somehow lacking.
Posted on 01/31/2007 7:17:00 PM PST by NormsRevenge
ROME - Nero's Golden Palace will partly reopen to visitors next week, offering rare insight into archaeologists' efforts to preserve the first-century imperial residence from decay and humidity.
Visitors will have access to half of the palace, wandering through a maze of underground passageways, officials said Wednesday. They can also climb a 43-foot scaffolding and take a close look at the building's frescoed vaulted ceilings, as restorers and archaeologists work to clean the paint.
"People will have the chance to get to know the monument itself and the efforts to maintain and preserve it," said archaeologist Irene Pignatelli, leading a press tour of the palace. "The aim of this type of visit is to show how the residence can be assaulted (by weather), how to intervene and what happens after the restoration."
Guided tours or no more than 20 people start on Feb. 6. Visitors are required to wear helmets as they walk through the largely underground complex.
The sumptuous residence — also known by its Latin name, Domus Aurea — rose over the ruins of a fire that destroyed much of Rome in A.D. 64 and was completed in A.D. 68, the year the unpopular Nero committed suicide amid a revolt.
After an 18-year restoration, the palace reopened in June 1999. Two years later, it was briefly closed to the public after part of the ceiling collapsed. The Domus Aurea closed again in 2005 after days of heavy rains threatened to cause the collapse of parts of the building.
The palace has been plagued by structural problems, including humidity. In the winter, humidity in the palace ranges from 82 percent to 98 percent, Pignatelli said. "You can almost swim in the Domus Aurea."
High humidity causes the walls to break and creates crusting. Algae and fungus are also appearing on the frescoes, she said.
Restorers work to remove some humidity — but not all.
"The frescos would suffer even more if all of a sudden the environment became completely dry again," said Angelo Bottini, the state's top official for archaeology in Rome. Bottini added that further restoration is being planned, especially on the external structures of the palace, to remove earth and tree roots.
The vaulted ceilings were once encrusted with pearls and covered with ivory — luxuries that were funded by heavy taxation that Nero levied on Rome's population, said Pignatelli. Marble and other precious materials were imported from Greece, Egypt and other parts of Asia, while inhabitants of the area were expropriated to build the 198 acres residence.
"We have to imagine this place as full of light, luxurious, with precious colorful materials and golden leaves," Pignatelli said. "Today, we only see what time and decay have given back to us."
I was sure this was news about a new casino.
The grandeur of old is somehow lacking.
ping
Wasn't the Coliseum built over part of Nero's palace [the artificial lake , as well well as some of the filled in structure]?
Bump.
from http://www.romeguide.it/domus_aureaeng/domus_aurea.htm
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
Horay! I'm going there at the end of March...can't wait to see this.
Horay! I'm going there at the end of March...can't wait to see this.
Ooooh, I'm jealous. Be sure to report back.
(I'm going in September).
ping.
In May/June 200, when I was in Rome with my young son, we tried to find the Domus Aurea: there were no signs, nothing. I think we were walking on top of it all the time.
I am fascinated by the architecture of it: the eight-sided room of which three sides opened to the gardens (some of which, yes, were overbuilt by the Colosseum). 
Reconstructed images are even more beautiful. I have some at school but not at home.
Thanks for the ping. After all this time, it's a wonder there is anything left. We may be able to see it, since it is close to the colosseum, but I'm not thrilled at the prospect of hard-hat spelunking in high humidity and fungus.
Ping message update.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
