The Golden House of Emperor Nero

An obscenely huge fun palace for the enjoyment of one man

Greetings Gold and Silver Level Knights! Emperor Nero was not shy when it came to extravagance and lavishing huge amounts of Roman taxpayers’ money on himself. He built a palace - the Domus Aurea - that occupied about a fifth of the city. It made him very unpopular - not that he cared.

Construction began on Nero’s very grand palace in the year 64CE - after Rome was ravaged by a huge fire - and was not finished when he committed suicide in 68CE. By that time, he had fled for his life but then ended it all as his enemies closed in. His memory was damned for all time. And the palace was allowed to decay.

The Colosseum was built on top of part of the palace complex - an artificial lake. Nobody really wanted to remember that dreadful, garish monstrosity thrown up by a megalomaniac. So, the rooms were filled with earth and the Romans built on top of the whole structure. It was therefore hidden entirely from view. Countless ghostly rooms now underground. By the time the Roman Empire collapsed in the fifth century CE, the memory of the ‘golden house’ had gone.

That was until the early fifteenth century when a Roman fell through a hole and found himself in a room stuffed with paintings on the walls. In the years that followed, the greatest artists of the Renaissance - Raphael and Michaelangelo - lowered themselves down by ropes and took sketches of Nero’s artwork. From the grave, the mad emperor made his presence felt. Note the hole in the ceiling here where somebody got in.

The ceilings are very high, which amazed me - how was this hidden for so long?

At its centre is the octagonal room where the emperor held court. Like other rooms it included light and water features.