The largest residence of the monarch in Rome appears in the form of a palace and park antique ensemble. Nero’s dream to create the most famous and largest palace in Europe came true thanks to two architects - Celer and the North.
The drawn up plan included the creation of parks and artificial ponds, ennobling meadows and vineyards. The creators planned to open in the center of the Italian capital a separate small city that would connect with other parts of Rome. The palace residence, the Roman estate and the Campanian villa are the components of the Golden House.
Who is Nero
At the age of 17, the son of the second wife of the emperor Claudius, Agrippina, ascended the Roman throne. He ruled in the period from 54 to 68 years of our era. Mother was his legal representative (equally ruler) for many years. Nero is known as a mad monarch. Instead of improving the economic, social, and political life of Rome, Nero devoted most of his time to himself. He was very vain and tried to become famous in acting or art, without having the talent for that.
Being under the tutelage of his mother, he restrained evil inclinations. But in 59, Nero plotted and killed Agrippina with the help of a guard.
Over the years of his reign, the emperor squandered almost all the money of the treasury, arranging various expensive performances, games and holidays. What replenished the treasury? The executions of wealthy people, whose money was immediately given to prepare the next feast.
The people considered the emperor to be insane and accused him of burning Rome. Nero really wanted to write a poem about Troy and the fire in the city (after the Gauls attack) was to return his inspiration. As a result, the monarch’s main palace burned down, on the site of which the grandiose Roman palace ensemble of Nero was subsequently built.
History of the Golden House of Nero
In order to fulfill his dream of construction, Nero ordered to dismantle the rubble of a huge burnt territory, where previously there were many temple buildings, monuments, and so on. The area of the entire palace complex, according to some estimates, exceeded one hundred hectares. It occupied the territory of Esquiline, Palatine, as well as the area between the slopes of Quirinale and Celius.
The name "Golden House" received due to the gilded dome, first used in Roman temple buildings. The description of Nero’s Golden House is truly fascinating. A grandiose statue of the ruler himself was installed in the lobby of the castle, 35 meters high. Using an artificial salt lake inside the palace, it was planned to arrange boat trips. Gardens and parks were filled with fountains, ponds with colorful fish and birds, their own palace forests with domesticated wild animals. Aqueducts with running water not only filled reservoirs, but also irrigated trees and greenery. The shores were entirely lined with snow-white statues.
Many scholars believe that for the people of Rome, the "Golden House" of Nero was built in the form of a palace of the Sun - the habitat of God. In the "House" special lighting was invented. Sunlight penetrated all rooms, including distant chambers. Through the ceiling holes, the sun shone directly on the frescoes and fabrics trimmed with gold, as well as on the gemstones adorning the castle.
What the palace complex consisted of
The light and romantic palace owes its lightness to cement. It was in the construction of the Golden House that cement was used for the first time to create domes and arched structures, which means that there was no need to design powerful walls for the supporting function.
The construction of the palace lasted for several years. All walls had gilded finishes and different varieties of marble. Snow-white primed ceilings were filled with beautiful panels. Halls intended for feasts had sliding arches. From the open ceiling parts flowers were showered and incense was sprayed. There was a special octagonal hall in which the ceiling represented the vault of heaven and could rotate without stopping.
Bathing facilities were filled with sulfuric and mineral waters. A technological surprise was the creation of the first elevator in history, which worked with the help of human hands. About a hundred rooms and halls contained the palace of Nero.
Painting and wall paintings
The whole picture of the panel was a general composition of a wall and a vault, which fit the figures of people. A characteristic feature of the painting style is paintings with the same miniature scale, which is at a height that is on the low parts of the walls.
Most of the paintings and frescoes were painted by the emperor's main artist - Fabulus. His famous painting "Minerva" amazed everyone who looked at her. Her eyes seemed to be watching the audience.
Ceiling painting was also remarkable for its extraordinary beauty. For example, the ceiling in one of the huge rooms was divided into squares, circles and ovals using gilded frames. In these curly fields episodes from mythological legends were presented. Due to Nero’s love for the story of the Trojan horse, the scenes of the famous epic were depicted in frescoes in a fairly large number. For example, burning ships during the Trojan War. The already lost manuscript with drawings from the great "Iliad" was taken as the basis for the fresco located in the cryptographic port.
The development of the house after the death of the ruler
The death of Nero came to him unexpectedly, his own servant stabbed the emperor with a knife. According to archaeologists, the implementation of the palace complex project was only 80 percent complete. When Nero moved into his new home, the main palace was not completely painted with frescoes, although most of the buildings were built.
After Nero left for another world, his successor Vespasian ordered to change the face of the sculpture, which met visitors at the entrance to the palace. The fact is that the sculpture almost completely copied the face of Nero. And later the statue completely changed its location - it was transferred to the Flavium amphitheater, which was later renamed the Colosseum.
Vespasian decided that there was no profitability in completing the construction of the complex, since the treasury required a large amount of money. So came the end of the Golden House.
The territory was completely abandoned, and after a while it ignited. In connection with these events, the ensemble of the palace was razed to the ground, the ponds were filled up, and the remaining remains of the buildings were preserved underground. Later this area was covered with new buildings: the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Terme of Trajan, the Arc de Triomphe, the Basilica of Maxentius and the Basilica of Constantine. In the remaining areas of the Nero's Golden House re-burned in Rome, private houses were erected.
The remnants of the emperor’s dream resting underground were found only in the 15th century.
Reconstruction of the Golden House of Nero
In the XXI century, the first restoration work began in 2006. Today, visitors to Rome can see the remains of the walls with which the Esquiline hill is full. All halls with domes are hidden under the flooring, and sunlight enters the interior thanks to a round hole in the octagonal hall.
You can visit the ruins only with a guide, during a special tour. This is due to a series of ceiling collapses in 2010.
Nero’s Golden House is still under reconstruction, and according to conservative estimates, a total of thirty million euros is needed to fully restore it. If no efforts are invested in the reconstruction, then all the buildings of the complex will simply collapse.
What to watch now
What places can be seen on excursions? Most of the walk passes through the aerial part of the palace, and after the tourists go to the octagonal hall, with two passes to other rooms. In the initial hall, you can still see the remaining remains of the water supply passing to the fountain.
Stepping on well-preserved marble, visitors pass through the Odyssey Nymphaeum and the Trajan Gallery of Thermal Baths. The palace has long ceased to shine with its grandeur, as underground waters and plant roots gradually destroy its walls.
How to get there
How to get to the "Golden House" of Nero using the subway? You must select line B and get off at the Colosseo station (Colosseum).
Near the museum complex is the Colle Opio stop, which can be reached by city buses under numbers 87, 80, 85, 75, 186, 53, 810.
If tourists prefer to travel by taxi, then the entrance to the museum building is located on Labikan Street.