nero domus aurea visit

The Domus Aurea: all you need to know + tips for visiting Nero’s outstanding palace in 2024

All you need to know about the Domus Aurea, Emperor Nero’s lavish palace. How to visit the Domus Aurea, best tours, fun and interesting facts and tips for visitors

The Domus Aurea is the lavish construction Emperor Nero created in Rome as his imperial palace.

Built in the I century AD by the design of Nero himself, it is one of the most interesting archaeological sites in Rome and a fantastic historical site in Rome that can be enjoyed by adults and children alike.

Hidden underground for centuries and still nowadays lying below street level, the Domus Aurea is a peculiar and challenging building for archaeologists and a treat for history lovers.

Impressive excavation work has brought part of the of the Domus back to light and several sections of it are now open to the public.

However, due to the fragility of the environment and the peculiarity of it being underground, it is helpful to have some practical info before going for your visit.

In this article, I will discuss how to get tickets for the Domus Aurea, what to expect, what to carry with you, tips for visiting the Domus Aurea with kids, and some info about the Domus Aurea that will help you put into context enjoy it at best.

The Domus Aurea is one of the most exciting underground attractions in Rome and one I strongly recommend you add to your Rome itinerary.

Please note: this post contains affiliate links and, should you make a purchase through them, we might make a small commission.

Table of Contents

What is the Domus Aurea?

The Domus Aurea is the over-the-top imperial palace build by emperor Nero (I century AD).

Built in only 4 years, between 64 and 68 AD, the Domus Aurea was colossal and followed a grand design by the Emperor himself.

According to ancient sources and archaeological findings, it extended over three of the seven hills of Rome and occupied over 50 hectares (over 123 acres).

It comprised rooms, patios, gardens and was also lavishly decorated.

Lover of the arts and entertainment, Nero wanted his house to be worthy of a man of his might and stature and a space that would satisfy his every need.

The Domus Aurea was the biggest home ever built in Rome at the time and, for size, luxury and use, has been described as ‘a Versailles in the heart of Rome’ (A. Carandini, roman archaeology professor at the University of Rome).

Ancient sources tell us that Nero supervised every detail of the building and ended up satisfied with it.

According to Suetonius, the first time he entered his completed home he said: ‘Good! Finally, I can start living like a human being’.

Nero didn’t make history as a modest man!

What does Domus Aurea mean?

Domus Aurea means ‘golden house’ (in Latin: Domus= home; Aurea=golden) and ancient writers tell us the house indeed shone like gold, with natural light reflecting itself on precious marbles, water games and rare metals.

It also seems to have had a golden dome, which was probably the main reason behind its name.

The Domus Aurea in the words of Suetonius

Our main source of information about the decor of the Domus Aurea is historian Suetonius, who described it as follows:

‘ There was a vestibule with a colossal statue of him (Nero), 120 feet tall. [The palace] was so big, it had porticoes with three sets of columns, one thousand steps long, and a pond that looked like the sea, surrounded by buildings that looked like cities.

Inside (the Domus Aurea), there were fields, vineyards, pastures and forests, with domesticated and wild animals of all sorts. In all parts of the building, everything was golden and decorated with gems and mother of pearl.

The ceilings of the entertainment halls had perforated, moving ivory tiles that diffused petals and perfumes. The main one of these salons was round and turned on itself, continuously, like the earth.’

The Domus Aurea now

The Domus Aurea nowadays is a pale remnant of what it used to be.

After Nero’s death, all that had to do with this cruel emperor went through destruction, including his house.

When Emperor Vespasian took power, we wanted to symbolically ‘give back’ to the people the space Nero had claimed for himself and destroyed large part of the Domus Aurea’s gardens, which he then used as grounds for building the Colosseum , a space devoted to free games for the pleasure of all Rome inhabitants.

What remained of the house was later filled with soil and turned into the foundations of the Thermal Baths of Trajan, which condemned the Domus to become an underground space, as it still is today.

While the size of the site and the excellent conservation work by archaeologists allow getting a sense of what the Domus must have been like, the palace is now fully underground and retains very little of its original décor.

Visiting the Domus Aurea, you will not see an airy palace that will make you feel like an ancient ruler. Rather, you will walk in huge underground tunnels, with brick walls and remains of ancient frescos and mosaics.

This doesn’t mean the site is not impressive.

You are sure to marvel at the height and might of the palace’s corridors and spaces, even if the light that flooded the place and the views over Rome are now gone!

Is the Domus Aurea worth visiting?

The Domus aura is very impressive and worth visiting for anyone with an interest in Roman history.

The peculiar history of the Domus is an excellent introduction to Imperial Rome in terms of topography and history. The guides are fantastic and bring the place back to life.

The Domus is underground however, the spaces are vast and the ceilings high, so it should not cause issues to people with claustrophobia.

It is a place below ground level and with no windows, so you may want to be aware of this should you or someone in your party find this distressing.

Domus Aurea Tickets: how to book a visit to Domus Aurea

Visits to the Domus Aurea are by guided tours only.

You can find tickets at the following addresses:

Domus Aurea Guided Tour by Parco Colosseo . This is the official ticketing channel and the cheapest way to visit the Domus Aurea, as you get tickets directly from the company that manages the site. The official site is this one

The quality of this guided tour is exceptional: we have taken the tour several times, with and without the kids, and always fond the guides to be outstanding.

Something special! Sometimes you are given the option to add a VR headset experience, to have at the end of the tour. If you see it available, get it, it is so worth it! The headset covers your head entirely and makes you feel inside the Domus as it used to be. this is not just a small visor but a full immersive experience and I highly recommend it. Just Bec careful with your kids as it is really immersive, my daughter had to take it off at times as she felt is was too weird!

Other tours you may want to consider are:

Small-Group Domus Aurea and Colosseum VR Tour by LivTours: the Colosseum is in front of the Domus and the sites are easy to visit in one session.

Where is the Domus Aurea and how to get there

The Domus Aura is in Rome city center and more precisely on the Oppian Hill, the southernmost part of the Esquiline Hill, in front of the Colosseum.

You access the house from the Oppian Hill park. Domus Aura address: Via di Serapide (Colle Oppio)

The closest metro station is ‘Colosseo’ and the nearest buses are Bus: n. 51, 85, 87, Tram: n. . The entrance to the Domus Aurea is less than a 5 minute walk from the stop (it is, however, uphill).

Taxis can drop you at the park entrance from where you can reach the main door with a less than 2 minute walk. Taxis cannot drop you off right at the entrance of the Domus since the park is a car-free zone.

What to expect on a Domus Aurea visit

What a visit to the Domus Aurea entails depends on when you go. The Domus is used for exhibitions so the exact tour will operate around those.

For instance, the first time we went, we saw an exhibition about the ‘grottesche’ which are the specific type of frescos you find in the Domus, while the second time we saw an outstanding exhibition about Nero and Egypt.

In all cases, you see the Domus. Below there is the account of one of our visits.

I believe this experience will help you get ready for your own visit, also if you opt for a different tour provider.

The best things to see in the Domus Aurea – our experience

The introductory video or exhibition area.

As I mentioned above, we had slightly different experiences on our different visits. The first one include a video at the start (this is what the account below is about) and the second one include a VR experience at the end.

Upon entering, you meet your guide, who will be waiting for you at the main Domus door.

At the start, the guide stops at a plan of the Domus and explains the basics of its structure.

This is a very interesting part of the tour. The Domus was so colossal, once you are inside you don’t really get a sense of its shape.

The map and explanation make it easier to appreciate the enormity and complexity of the space.

After this, you see a video, which is one of the highlights of the tour.

The video only lasts a few minutes and it is projected on one of the walls. It shows with the aid of lights how to Domus would have looked like and it is an incredible sight.

What is left of the Domus is not even a pale impression of the original built.

In its heyday, the Domus opened up onto extensive gardens and used to receive a lot of natural light.

It was colorful and highly decorated and it has water games and materials that would make it.

Without the video, it is very hard to visualize what it would have looked like but this, way, it truly comes back to life!

After the video, the tour leads you to several parts of the house. The space is very impressive and the guide is full of anecdotes about it.

Some of these stories come from the time of Nero, but many come from the many centuries after his death.

I am going through some of them below, in the section about fun and interesting facts about the Domus Aurea.

The mighty corridors

Walking around the Domus Aurea feels like walking into a maze of massive corridors.

The corridors are very long, have very high ceiling and they are now almost entirely made of exposed bricks.

The bricks would have been the support to slabs of precious stone and metal decorations or, in some cases, would have been covered by a layer of plasterboard and frescoes.

Many of the original decorations are gone but many are still visible.

Even when they are not, however, the corridors of the Domus Aurea make an impression. Their size speaks volumes about what this palace must have been like!

The frescoes on the walls and ceiling of the Domus Aurea

The tour devotes attention to many architectural elements of the house and points some of the beautiful frescoes and mosaics remaining and the challenges archaeologists face to preserve and study this house.

Most of the decorations are highly damaged however, good lighting means they are easy to spot (with a guide!) and the overall experience is fulfilling and satisfying.

Some worth noticing are the frescoes in Pompeian style, among the best we have from the era, interesting depictions of Anubis, the Egyptian God that was worshipped beside traditional Roman Gods and Goddesses after the conquest of Egypt and the famous Hector and Andromache fresco in the last room.

The mosaic and Ulysses and Polyphemus

The Domus Aurea has several water areas and one of the is famous for a peculiar mosaic depicting Ulysses and Polyphemus.

The mosaic is high on the ceiling (an info panel has a reproduction of it that helps see its details) and it is beautiful and significant as one of the first examples of figurative mosaic work we have.

The Domus Aurea convivium room (dining room)

One of the best preserved and most interesting rooms in the Domus Aurea is the dining room.

Unlike others, this room still maintain its mosaic floor and also its original wall paint.

Fun fact! The paint in this room is black. Since there was an open fire always ready for the entertaining needs of the Emperor, the paint color was chosen to disguise the inevitable wall-stains the smoke would create! The effect is till nowadays visually very strong!

The XV century ceiling holes

If you look at the celling of several of the Domus Aurea’s rooms, you will notice large holes.

These ware made in the XIV century by thieves who used to climb down into the Domus with ropes to steal precious materials and treasures!

The holes are incredible to see and the story of their origin one of the many things that make the Domus Aura so unique.

The Octagonal room

The last room in the tour is the octagonal room and it is special.

Ancient historians tell us that the Domus had a rotating dining room and the impression it must have left has been recreated with a light show. It is not to be missed!

Fun and interesting facts about the Domus Aurea history

The Domus Aurea is the palatial residence in Rome built by Emperor Nero.

It was built in only 5 years and was ordered after the destruction of the Domus Transitoria , Nero’s house on the Palatine, during the devastating Rome fire of 64AD.

The house is now a ruin however, Suetonius tells us at length about it and his account allows archaeologists to have a good sense of what the house would have been like.

The Domus was enormous . It used to stretch from the Palatine Hill to the Oppian hill (part of the Esquiline hill) and included rooms, entertainment halls, patios, gardens, corridors, many indoor/outdoor areas and a large pond.

The Pond of the Domus used to stretch in the valley between the Palatine and the Oppian hill , which is right where we have the Colosseum now. This is not by chance!

When Nero died, his memory was banned and his creations were also erased and destroyed (this process was called damnatio memoriae.

The Domus Aurea itself, even if just finished, went through this fate.

When emperor Vespasian took power, he decided to symbolically take the Domus and ‘ give back ’ the population the space the previous emperor had claimed for himself.

He destroyed part of the house, dried the pond and built the Colosseum on it instead.

He turned a private area for the privileged into a public space for the community (the games at the Colosseum were free – find more fun facts about the Colosseum here. ): an incredible act of PR!

When Emperor Trajan took power, he further destroyed the Domus.

In order to build his thermal baths, which we can only partially see today, he filled the Domus with earth and soil and turned Nero’s home into the underground foundations of his own monumental enterprise!

The Domus, while now deprived of all his ornaments, used to be lavishly decorated and carefully curated.

The walls were decorated with colorful marbles from all over the ancient world, mosaics, fountains, and incredible frescoes we can still partially see.

In some of the rooms, the Domus preserved some of the most important examples of the Pompeian style , a wonderful pictorial style also seen in Pompeii.

Suetonius tells us that the Domus aura used to have a circular room that rotated on itself .

It is not entirely clear where this room was however, there is a reconstruction of it in the octagonal hall of the Domus: the rotating effect is recreated with light games and it is very impressive!

In the XIV century, thieves discovered the underground treasures of the Domus.

Without understanding what they had found, they started incursions into the house by means of holes in the ground and the use of ropes.

They thought the space underground where grottoes and even gave a name to the style of art found it in: ‘ grottesche ’, a type of art that became very popular and influential over artists such as Raphael and his contemporaries (see below)!

All precious materials and most of the sculptures in the Domus Aurea got stolen however, it was possible to salvage the Laocoon, one of the most important statues in Rome , now preserved in the Vatican Museums.

The Domus Aurea is a very delicate and endangered environment.

In fascist times, the land above it was turned into a garden with monumental trees and their roots plus the weight of the soil cause infiltrations and pressure on the Domus walls.

Now, there is a project to turn the garden into a much lighter one to preserve this incredible building and avoid ruinous collapsing of its part – some of it fell on itself years ago and cause terrible damage as well as forcing the closure of the Domus.

The Domus Aurea and the Grottesche

The word ‘grottesche’ describes a specificities style of figurative art that became popular in the late 1400s -1500s.

The history of ‘grottesche’ starts around 1480.

At that time, it was known that beautiful frescos were hidden in underground ‘grottoes’ in the Oppian Hill and artists such as Pinturicchio, Lippi and Signorelli, used roped and torched to study and admire them.

They were aware to be in front of Roman art however, they believed them to be part of the baths of Titus, rather than part of the more ancient Domus Aurea.

Later, Raphael took an interest in these paintings and great inspiration from them.

At his time, they were still referred as ‘grotesque’ (of the grottoes). The name still applies to this style even now that we know these spaced were all but grottoes!

Experts can see the style of grottesche in Raphael’s work in the décor of Cardinal Bibbiena’s apartment in the Vatican, and in the Loggetta, which was almost a last rehearsal before the creations of Raphael’s most famous frescoes in the Vatican (Stanze di Raffaello).

The influence of the grottesche went well beyond its time and that of Raphael: Klee, Dali, Miro’ and surrealists, in particular, were highly influenced by them, which they interpreted in both aesthetic and symbolic terms.

Visiting the Domus aura with kids

The Domus Aurea is child friendly and I believe is one of the most impressive archaeological sites to visit in Rome with kids of school age.

Due to the nature of the place, I find it would have little relevance and interest to children with no grasp of Roman history but children of primary school age and up can enjoy it.

At physical level, they will find interesting to be underground (it is also much cooler than outside, a fact that is noticeable in itself!), they will enjoy the video and they will also find the stories entertaining.

However, the house is not a place with much to do as such nor one you can visit in your own time so you need children who are happy and able to keep their attention up for the tour duration.

I visited with my two children and they enjoyed taking photos of the place and also recognize some stories that they had heard on horrible histories – I highly recommend you have a book about ancient Rome and Nero in particular before your visit to make the most of the day.

The Domus is stroller-friendly.

Top tip : in the Domus, you can take photos only without a flash. Make sure you can turn off the flash on your kids’ camera or give them your phone (or a spare one) and set the right setting yourself.

The things my kids enjoyed the most in the Domus Aurea are:

• The initial video
• The ceiling holes and the story of the thieves
• The stories of the lavishly decorated house
• The frescoes, especially the most colorful ones
• The room that used to open onto the main patio: now the patio if full of debris and gives a scale of the work the archaeologist did to bring the palace back from the earth!

What to bring to visit the Domus Aurea

You don’t need special gear to visit the Domus Aurea however, you should make sure you carry with you:

• Green pass (from 6th August 2021)
• Comfortable walking shoes or sandals – you can find here >>> recommended shoes for Rome .
• A sweater / jumper even in summer: the Domus is significantly colder than outside and you will need an extra layer during the visit. In the height of summer, a light sweater is enough. Ensure you have a cover / blanket for kids in the stroller as they are likely to feel cold there.

What to see near the Domus Aurea

The Colosseum – just in front of the Domus Aurea, it can be visited on the same day The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill – also in front of the Domus Aurea, it can be visited on the same day (please note: visiting the Domus Aurea, the Colosseum and the Forum is technically possible in one day but it is too much and I advise against it) The Caelian Hill, the wonderful home of Santo Stefano Rotondo and San Clemente Churches, as well as the fabulous Santi Quattro Coronati The Monti Neighborhood , a lovely local area with historical and hipster charm (includes Santa Prassede and Santa Pudenziana, two of the best places to see mosaics in Rome ) and Santa Maria Maggiore. Il Vittoriano , the interesting altar to the fatherland in Piazza Venenzia

I hope you enjoyed this quick guide to the Domus Aurea and it helped you plan your visit. Safe travel planning!

My name is Marta, I am a travel-loving mama born and bred in that messy, wonderful, infuriating, awe-inspiring unbelievably beautiful city that is Rome. A classics graduate and professional travel blogger, on this site I share my insider tips to help you plan your dream trip to Rome, Italy.

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The domus aurea rome, the rich decorations of nero's palace, the magnificent domus aurea..

Emperor Nero’s gilded house: the domus between pageantry and innovation.

What is the domus aurea?

In 64 A.D. a great fire ravaged Rome and destroyed the residence of the Roman emperor Nero (domus transitoria). This tragic event caused some 80 hectares of land to be expropriated in order to build a new structure on the site, an urban villa that would become the home of Emperor Nero. The area stretched between the Palatine, the Caelian, and the Esquiline. Nero’s new residence took the name “domus aurea,” literally “house of gold.” Later it will not be difficult to understand why.

Built of brick and not marble as we sometimes tend to believe, the construction of this villa achieved some particularly bold and innovative architectural solutions.

Designed by architects Severus and Celer and decorated by painter Fabullus, the villa consisted of several separate buildings as well as woods and gardens. In the area of the domus aurea there were also hot, thermal, sulfur and other water pools. Numerous rooms for parties and banquets, to go along with the lavish life of Emperor Nero. The most famous of these rooms was the coenatio rotunda , a hall that, thanks to remarkable architectural and engineering solutions, rotated on itself. Also impressive was the huge vestibule that housed a colossal statue of the emperor in the guise of the Sun god. The octagonal hall of the domus features architecture from curvilinear rhythms and is covered by a dome with a large central dormer that let in light; a style that anticipates the broken-line architecture of the 20th century.

The domus aurea was characterized by rich decoration, geometric patterns in stucco and painting, and interesting figurative images. The decorations of the domus aurea were extremely rich and incredible: there were ceilings plastered and set with semi-precious stones and ivory foils, not to mention vast gold coverings. This gives us insight into the choice of the dwelling’s name, which could not but be “house of gold.”

Another architectural innovation of this residence was the particular choice of placing mosaics on the vaulted ceilings: normally until that time mosaics were placed on the floors and never on the ceilings. Later this technique was adopted by Christian art to decorate the many churches that were later built in the city of Rome.

The domus aurea covered a very large area of Rome where the luxury and grandeur of the building was accompanied by magnificent gardens, vineyards, and wooded spaces. In the valley between the hills there was also a semi-artificial pond where later, the Colosseum was built. The domus aurea is one of the most fascinating historical sites in the world.

What remains of the domus aurea today?

When Emperor Nero died, the desire to erase all traces of his existence and work was strong. So it was also for the domus aurea and for the whole site. The grounds of the mansion were plundered, the rich halls of the mansion were stripped of their riches, gold and gemstone coverings, and sculptures, and filled with earth up to the vaults so they could build on the entire site. In fact, in that area would later rise the Baths of Titus, the Flavian Amphitheater, the Baths of Trajan, and the Temple of Venus. In about forty years the domus aurea was completely covered with earth and buried by the new buildings; in this way, however, the paintings and decorations on the walls were preserved from the elements and arrived almost intact until the xv century, when they were rediscovered, becoming a place of great curiosity for various artists. Now the frescoes are unfortunately very deteriorated and we can enjoy them only partially, imagining the colors. The parts of the domus aurea that can be visited today are probably the areas once dedicated to feasts and banquets and that were rediscovered from underground during the Renaissance. Artists such as Pinturicchio, Ghirlandaio, Raphael and Giulio Romano began to descend from above into those “underground caves” to go and discover and study the painting techniques of Romanesque art . Think what an explosion of emotions the rediscovery of that ancient and peculiar world may have been in the Renaissance. Painters would descend underground to discover the works, which had been covered with earth to construct other buildings. The painting technique born from these studies takes the motifs of these decorations and reinterprets them, and is still called “grotesque painting.”

Today the domus aurea is part of the Colosseum Archaeological Park. A visit to the domus aurea, for which we recommend reservations, is a true journey through time, discovering the life of Emperor Nero’s opulence and luxury. The remains of the domus aurea have been made even more interesting and usable through the domus area experience, multimedia interventions designed to allow visitors to fully experience the domus aurea. We recommend reservations for a guided tour of the domus aurea.

How to get to the Domus Aurea?

The domus aurea is located in the heart of Rome’s historic center, in the Colosseum Archaeological Park, a stone’s throw from the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.

The entrance for visiting the domus aurea is from inside the Colle Oppio Park, on the Via Labicana side.

Address: Domus Aurea 1- Via del Serapide, Rome

You can easily reach the domus aurea by Rome metro, bus or streetcar. The domus aurea is within easy walking distance of the Colosseum.

By Metro: Line B stop Colosseo In Bus : n. 51, 85, 87 In Streetcar: n. 3

Visiting hours at the Domus Aurea?

Visits to the Domus Aurea are possible on the following days:

Thursdays at 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 9:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (entrances every 15 minutes)

Visiting the Golden House is accessible for the disabled, has a bookshop and toilets.

A visit to the Golden House can last from about one and a half to two hours.

Visiting the domus aurea is an exciting journey through time.

Reservations are recommended for visiting the domus aurea. Booking a guided tour will enable us to secure reserved entry, avoid the lines, and have an experienced guide on hand who will take us through the fascinating world of Emperor Nero and his residence. Visiting options include walking tours exploring the entire area and entrances to the villa ruins, guided tour with specialized guide.

Guided group tour of domus aurea rome

On this guided tour you will discover the beauty and riches of Emperor Nero’s Golden House and learn all the secrets of the site and the emperor’s life. You will be accompanied by a valuable expert language guide. Reserved entrance, expert language guide, skip-the-line ticket, free cancellation.

Guided walking tour of domus aurea rome

You will have the opportunity to explore the entire area of the domus aurea archaeological park. The ruins of the building, the luxury of the walls and mosaics, the remains of the famous dining hall, but also the underground lakes, thermal baths, forests, and the emperor’s vineyards. You will meet directly with a specialized guide without having to queue. Priority entrance ticket.

DOMUS AUREA tours with priority entrance and virtual reality

What is included :

Skip-the-line admission to the Domus Aurea, Nero’s Golden House

1-hour guided tour with Oculus Rift Virtual Reality headset

• Opening Hours.

Buy tickets and tours

• Guided tours

Acquista il tuo ingresso

• Acquista il tuo biglietto di ingresso
• Acquista la tua visita guidata
• Acquista la tua card

Purchase your admission

• Buy your entrance ticket
• Buy your guided tour
• Buy your card

Colosseum Rome

Opening hours., buy skip-the-line ticket or guided tour.

Ruin Lust: Guide to Nero’s Golden House, Domus Aurea

Here’s my guide to visiting Nero’s Domus Aurea, or Golden House, in Rome. If you’re a history or archaeology buff like me, you’ll be smitten with this secret underground palace.

I think it’s a must visit attraction in Rome. But, because it’s only been reopen on a limited basis since 2007, the Golden House is still a hidden gem in Rome .

The Golden House was once the grandest building on earth. It’s not your typical Roman tourist site, by any means. It’s an excavation in progress, one of Rome’s best archaeological sites.

Built by Emperor Nero between 64-68 AD in the heart of imperial Rome, the sprawling pleasure palace once covered up to 300 acres. The facade and walls were adorned with frescos, gold leaf, glass mosaics, pearls, and marble. In natural light, it had a golden hue.

But little of this wealth survived Nero’s rule. As Nero’s extravagance and tyranny spun out of control, rivals condemned both his reign and his emblematic palace.

For a decade after his death, the palace was looted, destroyed, and filled in with brick. But the vivid frescos couldn’t be pried off the walls.

Tickets & Tours

There are limited spots, so you’ll want to book a skip the line ticket in advance. You can also book a ticket on Tiqets . You can also book a 2 hour guided tour .

Who Was Emperor Nero ?

Nero was born in 37 A.D. Thanks largely to the historian Suetonius, Nero went down in history as one of Rome’s greatest villains. Nero is routinely portrayed as the most decadent and sexually deviant of all Roman emperors.

But this depiction is likely a cartoonish caricature or meme, without any historical accuracy. Imperial Rome was a violent and decadent place, after all. Threats of death or usurpation were constant. It was common practice to vilify a deposed emperor. The worst stories may be sheer gossip.

Moreover, as we all know, history is written by the victors — politicans who were motivated to smear Nero or hostile historians who didn’t much fancy the emperors.

At a minimum, Nero seemed like a reckless Trumpian-type wannabe rock star who failed to play the necessary political games to keep his crown.

READ : History of the Roman Emperors

After Nero’s father died, his mother Agrippina married Emperor Claudius. She persuaded Claudius to name Nero his successor over his own son Britannicus. She also persuaded him to marry his daughter Octavia to Nero.

Claudius died in 54 A.D. It’s suspected that an ambitious Agrippina fed him poisoned mushrooms. Nero took the throne at just 17.

He was inexperienced in command and politics, but ruled an empire from Spain to Syria. Nero was placid for awhile and an ambitious Agrippina effectively ruled Rome. But, ultimately, Nero rebuffed his mother’s attempts to control him

Agrippina was displeased by the shift in power. She advocated for Britannicus as emperor. Nero allegedly had Britannicus poisoned. Then, Nero murdered Agrippina to get her out of the way. The Senate didn’t even object much, having chaffed at a woman in power.

After murdering his mother, Nero’s megalomania worsened. He spent lavishly, behaved inappropriately, and was increasingly tyrannical. He reputedly executed opponents and adversaries at whim.

Nero’s public reputation took a dive. It wasn’t helped by Nero’s love of theater. He appears to have missed his true calling. He would’ve been happier as an actor or artist than an emperor.

Nero began giving public poetry readings, acting in plays, and racing chariots. This embarrassed the Senate even further. No emperor should behave in such an unseemly and degrading fashion. The aristocrats hated him. But the common man loved Nero and his antics.

In 64 AD, most of Rome was destroyed by a great fire. Nero’s enemies whispered that Nero set the fire or “fiddled” (played an instrument) while Rome burned to make way for his planned palace.

Most historians disagree with this sentiment. To try to quell the rumors, Nero blamed the Christians for setting the fire. He then ruthlessly murdered them, but that was the punishment for arson in that era.

Promptly after the fire, Nero built the Golden House, his massive pleasure palace. It occupied three of Rome’s fabled seven hills. The Domus Aurea was financed by increased taxes, theft, and sale of official positions. When Nero moved in, he grandiosely announced he could finally “live like a human.”

But rebellion was brewing and soon erupted. Nero eventually fled Rome. The Senate condemned him to death for his misdeeds (and artsy temperament) and declared him a public enemy.

Rather than face the Senate, Nero committed suicide, lamenting that a “great artist” had died. He was the last of the Julio-Claudian emperors.

After his death, the haughty Senate issued a “ Damnatio memoriae,” a Latin phrase meaning “to condemn his memory.” Images and statuary of Nero were destroyed. Only a few pieces survive for posterity.

Coins were the ultimate in propaganda and image branding, so coins bearing Nero’s image were recalled, cancelled, or destroyed.

READ : The Rise and Fall of Ancient Rome

Guide To Domus Aurea: What To See

Nero’s Golden House was a monument to Nero’s ego and full of gimmicky inventions. It must have seemed almost Vegas-like to ordinary Romans, for its sheer size and golden bling.

But the party palace was also a symbol of power for Nero. Surely, only an invincible man could produce such a lavish abode?

Sadly, The Golden House had a short life span. Its 200+ rooms were constructed in just 4 years. After Nero’s death, in almost in a flash, it was pillaged, destroyed, and consigned to oblivion.

The Golden House was a a revolutionary masterpiece, an architectural wonder at the time. The two masterminds were Severus (the architect) and Celer (the engineer). The Golden House wasn’t a palace per se . Rather, it was a sprawling complex of pavilions, gardens, statuary, with an artificial lake in the center.

The principal entrance was along the via Sacra coming from the Forum. The main gateway was guarded by the Colossus Neronis in a large atrium of porticos.

1. Colossus of Nero

The Colossus was a 100 foot statue of Nero, portrayed as the sun god with rock hard abs (instead of his real life prominent belly). The Colossus was inspired by the Colossus at Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Large areas of the Golden House were dedicated to banquet rooms. The west wing, for example, had one rectangular courtyard surrounded by no fewer than 50 banquet rooms. A showman, Nero loved to throw parties and lavishly entertain.

But the Donus Aurea wasn’t just fun and games. It was a hugely significant structure for several reasons.

2. Revolutionary Design

First, Domus Aurea represented a major architectural innovation. It marked one of first uses of concrete as the building material of choice for fine architecture.

The concrete wasn’t made with crushed stone anymore, but a much lighter mixture of pumice and tufa (a form of limestone) placed between parallel rows of brick.

Second, Nero’s Golden House represented a breakthrough in design and aesthetics. It departed from “the tyranny of the rectangle.” Concrete allowed Nero’s architects to use myriad shapes — prisms, cubes, octagons, and semi-cylinders.

They placed mosaics on the ceiling, not just the floor, which started a trend you can now see in Rome’s beautiful churches . The most stunning mosaics are in Santa Maria Maggiore , in Rome’s Monti neighborhood.

3. Octagonal Room

Domus Aurea’s most significant room is the Octagonal Room, which you visit on the guided tour and is largely intact despite Trajan’s rebuilding efforts.

The Octagonal Room was a place of entertainment. It was the exquisitely decorated main banqueting hall of the palace — a backdrop for Nero to meet people, do business, and throw orgies. It had a sophisticated dome with an oculus, which no doubt inspired Hadrian’s Pantheon.

The Octagonal Room had radiating alcoves of different shapes where guests reclined on couches while looking into a central space used for dining or entertainment. In one niche, a waterfall rushed over marble stairs, cooling the room. Natural light flooded in from the oculus (or eye), enhancing the effect of the glass mosaics.

The Octagonal Room also had a revolving or rotating floor, mimicking the movement of celestial bodies. Four spherical mechanisms beneath the floor rotated the structure.

A lattice work ceiling held hidden delights. On Nero’s command, his guests would be showered with perfume and flower petals, which mixed with the spicy food on offer and possible body odor of the occupants.

4. Room of Achilles

Near the Octagonal Room was the Room of Achilles with marble and painted stucco walls. The ceiling depicts Achilles with shield and spear in hand, surrounded by the daughters of the ruler of Skyros. Achilles, who had been disguised as a girl, has just revealed his true identity to Odysseus.

The Golden House was also notable for its spectacular frescos that revolutionized the art world. They were created by the “floridly extravagant” painter Famulu.

Legend holds that Famulus was virtually imprisoned in the palace, working at a feverish pace clad in a toga. His paintings were vibrant, fantastical, and became highly influential to Renaissance artists.

Nero was also a lover of Greek sculpture and known to acquire (and steal) statuary on his travels. If you’ve been to the Vatican Museums , you’ll have seen the famous Laocoön sculpture. It was found in 1500 near the site of the Domus Aurea. It may well have part of Nero’s collection.

Destruction of Nero’s Golden House

After Nero’s death, his rivals wanted to obliterate his ostentatious palace. According to the historian Tacitus, the vile structure was “reared from the spoils of his countrymen.” Emperors, especially Vespasian, wanted every symbol of Nero erased.

The Golden House was looted, filled in, and built over by Nero’s successors in the Flavian Dynasty. Nero’s artificial lake was drained. Vespasian built the Flavian Amphitheater, or Colosseum, on its site.

The baths of Trajan and Titus and other forum temples were also built directly over the palace ruins. The foundation of Trajan’s Baths is, in fact, interwoven with the walls of the Domus Aurea.

Only one thing remained from the palace — the Colossus of Nero. Vespasian put a sun crown on the statue and renamed it Colossus Solis.

Hadrian subsequently moved it, with the help of 24 elephants, to the Flavian Amphitheater. Commodus later replaced its head, transforming it into a statue of himself as Hercules.

In an ironic turn of events, the Colossus Neronis became the source of the amphitheater’s nickname, the Colosseum .

Domus Aurea: Birthplace of the Grotesque

But the destruction of the Golden House wasn’t quite as extensive as the Flavian emperors intended. In fact, much of the Golden House remained intact underground. Famulus’ frescos were preserved for 14 centuries.

At the end of the 15th century, the Domus Aurea was discovered by accident when a young man fell into a crevice. To his surprise, he found himself surrounded by paintings.

At first, the palace ruins were thought to be caves or grottos. The richly decorated frescos inside were called “grotesques.” They featured geometric forms, bright colors, monsters, and whimsical figures.

Soon, the subterranean ruins became popular. They were the first major well-preserved artistic discovery from antiquity. And the decorations were nothing like the classical themes of the Renaissance.

Renaissance artists went spelunking into the buried palace to admire the ancient works. Raphael , Michelangelo , and Pinturicchio all visited the site. It inspired and revolutionized new forms of decorative art.

It was effectively the birthplace of the grotesque. In Rome, you can find grosteque style frescos everywhere — in the Vatican , Castle Sant’Angelo , Palazzo Venezia, Villa Farnesina , and Villa D’Este in Tivoli.

Unfortunately, the holes created to allow viewing of the frescos exposed them to the elements. This caused damage, discoloration, and fungal/bacterial issues.

The Golden House wasn’t properly excavated until the 18th century. A key preservation problem is the weight of a 19th century garden above it, which stresses the palace’s supporting structures. The roots of trees have even snaked below and become tangled in the walls.

In 2019, archeologists discovered another frescoed room while repairing a vault. They found an opening and saw “a completely frescoed adjacent room” decorated with panthers, centaurs, and a sphinx.

The room was identified as the Sala della Sfinge, the Room of the Sphinx. It’s currently un-excavated and not open to the public due to its lack of structural integrity. But you can see many of its fantastical frescoed images here .

Tour of the Domus Aurea, Nero’s Golden House

Taking a tour of the Domus Aurea was a highlight of my last Rome visit. What an underrated destination! I mean, how often can you enter a 2,000 year old underground palace that’s a working archeological site?

The site was opened to the public on a limited basis for the first time in 1999. But it was closed and reopened multiple times due to the ruins’ collapses and instability.

It was finally re-opened to tourists in 2014. At the time, it caused a stir tantamount to the opening of the Colosseum underground .

Today, the Esquiline Wing of the Golden House is virtually all that remains. It’s being constantly excavated by Parco Archeologico del Colosseo. But it still hints at the sumptuousness of the former palace.

Technology enhances the tour. At the beginning, introductory information and slides are projected onto the walls.

In the Golden Vault, you don virtual reality goggles. You see how Nero’s palace appeared to him all its glory. The bare walls and rubble magically transform into a richly decorated chamber with a gilded ceiling and a view of lush gardens. You can see for yourself here .

You’ll be led through the Golden Vault, the Crytoporticus (a long hidden passage), and eventually to the remarkable Octagonal Room. Your guide will point out details of the frescos, still beautiful in their faded glory.

During the pandemic, the Golden House was closed and renovated. It was reopened in 2021. The new addition is an entrance and pedestrian walkway designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti .

Visiting Nero’s Domus Aurea is a uniquely enriching experience. Don’t miss it on your next visit to Rome.

Practical information & Tips for Visiting Domus Aurea in Rome

Address : Via della Domus Aurea, 1, 00184 Rome. Enter the gates, walk up the hill, make the first left, and you’ll find the site entrance. It’s not very well sign posted.

Hours : You may visit on Saturdays and Sundays on a scheduled tour with an authorized guide from the site, between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, last admission at 3:45. A reservation is required.

Entry fee :

The ticket fee is 15 euros, with a 2 euro fee for pre-booking. Buy tickets or reserve here .

Often, tickets are bought up by tourist companies, so you may have to visit that way. Domus Aurea doesn’t take the Roma Pass. A portion of your entry fee goes to preservation and conversation of the site.

The guided tour lasts approximately 1:20. Groups of 20 people leave every 15 minutes. You’ll need to wear a hard hat. It’s also quite cold and damp underground, so make sure you’re properly dressed. Our guide said it was 40 degrees colder than the normal outdoor temperature.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my guide to Nero’s Golde3n House, Domus Aurea. You may enjoy these other Rome travel guides and resources:

• 8 ways to spend 1 day in Rome
• 3 day itinerary for Rome
• 5 day itinerary for Rome
• Hidden gems in Rome
• Best museums in Rome
• Archaeological sites in Rome
• Guide to the Borghese Gallery
• Rome’s secret palace museums
• Guide to the Capitoline Museums
• Guide to Palatine Hill
• Guide to the Roman Forum
• Guide to the Colosseum
• Walking tour of central Rome

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Last Updated on August 31, 2022 by Leslie Livingston

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Visiting the domus aurea: nero’s golden palace in rome.

There are few figures in Roman history as well known and reviled as Nero. The emperor supposedly played the fiddle while Rome burned. It’s not clear if he really celebrated the destruction of the city in real time, but he certainly took advantage of the fire. After the embers died down, he used the “new” space left empty by the inferno to build his Domus Aurea – Nero’s Golden Palace.

It was probably this lavish display that cemented Nero’s unpopularity. To say that his palace was massive is a bit of an understatement. The Domus Aurea covered somewhere between 100 and 300 acres, reaching from the touching the slopes of the Palatine, Esquiline, Oppian and Caelian hills.

So where is this ginormous palace now?

Most of it lies under Colle Oppio park, looking out at the Colosseum.

Vespasian, the emperor who succeeded Nero, had the palace filled with dirt and destroyed. He then went on to build the Colosseum on top of the artificial lake which Nero had built inside his palace walls.

Buried under Colle Oppio, the Golden Palace was nearly lost – but it is now possible to visit the excavation site.

But because there are ongoing excavations taking place, you are going to need a tour (I went with Through Eternity tours ) and a hard hat.

We met with our guide, Brandon, to chat about Nero and learn more about his Golden Palace. Prepped and ready to explore, we grabbed our yellow hats and followed an archaeologist into the site.

The Domus Aurea is very much an excavation in process. Nero’s Golden Palace was made up of more than 200 rooms, and some have yet to be reopened.

Despite its impressive size, they have yet to find any bedrooms or sleeping quarters – this huge complex was all about entertainment.

In addition to landscaped gardens and a manmade lake, Nero built grottos and dining rooms for his guests to relax in.

He spared no expensive – even decorating the ceilings with mosaics and building an elaborate rotating dome.

Hard to imagine, right?

Which is why part of the reason I loved this visit so much was because:

• I had no idea that the Domus Aurea was right there under the hill.
• There is a virtual reality experience that helps to animate what the Golden Palace would have looked like

I like Ancient Roman history, but I find it really hard to picture what everything looked like based on the ruins. Having this virtual reality stop was incredibly helpful (and a lot of fun).

Many of the original decorations from the Golden Palace have been lost or moved to museums, but it is still incredible to wander through the chambers that are now underground.

A tour of the Domus Aurea is a great rainy day activity since it is all inside, but a walk through the Golden Palace is also perfect in summer. You might notice in the photos that we are wearing sweaters or draped with scarves – that is because the Domus Aurea is significantly cooler than the outside temperature.

While I loved the virtual reality, my favorite stop was in Nero’s insane octagonal dining room. This is where guests would have been showered with rose petals from the spinning dome above them – much like the rose petals at the Pantheon .

If you have already seen the Colosseum – the Domus Aurea should definitely be your next stop. For the most full-service option, you can book with a company like Through Eternity. You can also buy tickets yourself here and will still be guided by an archeologist once you are inside, or book directly with CoopCulture for the lowest price if there are spots left.

Disclosure: I was invited to join the tour by a friend – but I talk about how much I liked it so often that my husband is now dying to go himself. It is a great experience! This post may contain affiliate links but they represent my honest opinion. 

Natalie is a food and travel writer who has been living in Rome full time since 2010. She is the founder and editor of this blog and prefers all of her days to include coffee, gelato, and wine.

7 thoughts on “ Visiting the Domus Aurea: Nero’s Golden Palace in Rome ”

Thank you for sharing your experience and pictures, but please next time leave the history to historians. Even a very brief scan of Nero’s Wikipedia and Encylopedia Brittanica pages would show you how poorly you come across parroting information that has always been known to be salacious gossip.

Nero was not hated. He was beloved. Rome refused to believe he was dead. They created a King Arthur/Christ myth about him that he would return to save Rome. Parthia almost went to war with Vespasian’s son because it refused to say he was dead. They were still laying flowers on his tomb in the 4th century, 300 years after his death. The Collosium got its name because it stood beside Nero’s Collosus. In 700 AD, the Venerable Bede in Britain wrote that, “So long as the Collosus still stands, so shall Rome. When the Collosus falls, so shall Rome and thus the world.” Commodus replaced Nero’s head with his own, but when ge died, Rome put Nero’s head back on. The head was bigger than the Statue of Liberty’s. They stored that giant head just waiting.

Nero gave slaves the right to take abusive masters to court and refused to allow the Senate to pass a law that would give them the right to re-enslave freedmen. He was Rome’s greatest builder and most of his projects were so ambitious they could not be finished until the invention of dynamite. He owned the land the Domus Aurea was built on. It was built in the foot print of his own house, the Domus Transitoria, that burnt down. The Domus Aurea’s Octagnonal Room is an architectural and engineering marvel. The Domus Aurea was 16,000 sqft. The White House is 40,000 sqft, Versailles is 88 million sqft. The vast majority of the Pallantine and Esquiline hills after the fire he turned in to parkland open to the whole city. It is not even clear that the Domus was even a residence, no bathrooms or kitchens have ever been found. Tacitus said he lived in a villa.

Nero was not in Rome at the time the fire broke, he rushed back ASAP, dismissed his body guards to help fight the fire, and ran all around they city organizing fire brigades. After the fire, he fed and housed the homeless on his own property at his own expense. After the fire he created Rome’s first building code, which created the Rome we know of today.

The Domus is a marvel, it is shame that is completely lost by the “Evil Nero” narrative surrounding the pictures.

Ciao! I completely agree about leaving history to the historians which is why I have tried to be as light without being inaccurate as possible.

I didn’t want to get into Tacitus or why he may be a more reliable historian than others who have written about the Great Fire. Or why Nero was so unpopular with the upper class (and how it is the upper class who writes history). Or why he had a Colossal statue of himself by his lake. Or why either he depicted himself as the sun God or Vespasian tried to erase any trace of him and changed the statue. Or why he killed his step-father, mother, and wife and was pretty horrible in his personal life but also pretty good to the wider Roman population.

But I do note that he didn’t live in the palace and it is true that he took advantage of the fire’s destruction to use the space to create his great landscaped palace.

Apologies – but I think people should go to the Domus Aurea to hear it from the researchers themselves!

Hey Natalie! Thank you for writing on your experience. This has been very helpful!

I just did a project on this building for Latin class and this article was helpful! Thank you!

I’m glad and I hope you get to visit in person one day!

Hi Natalie! Thank you for this post! I will be sure to go check it out as soon as I can get back out travelling again, Best wishes xx

I went to a high school prom in the 1970s at a restaurant if the same name at the top of this site. The view was spectacular! Sadly, it, too, burned down.

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The Domus Aurea Rome: All about astonishing Nero’s palace

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You want to know more about Domus Aurea ? In 64 AD, Rome suffered a great fire. It was the summer, and the blaze lasted for nearly 10 days. It is estimated that over 66% of the city was destroyed . As the majority of Rome’s buildings were wooden framed, only 4 districts escaped devastation.

Rumours abound that Nero himself has destroyed the city. But if true that also meant it destroyed Nero’s palace in Rome – the Domus Transitoria…

• 1 History of the Domus Aurea
• 2 About the Emperor Nero
• 3 What does Domus Aurea mean?
• 4 Details about Architecture and Layout
• 5 2 Little-known Domus Aurea facts that even the tour guides forget
• 6 Nero's Golden House
• 7 How do I buy Domus Aurea Tickets
• 8 Info about Domus Aurea Hours
• 9 Domus Aurea map & How to get there
• 10 3 Best hotels nearby to Nero’s house that you can BOOK right now!
• 11 Frequently Asked Questions
• 12 Conclusion

History of the Domus Aurea

Nero died in 68 AD, at which point the construction of Nero’s Domus Aurea was nearly complete. Word has it that he took a detailed interest in what was going on in Nero’s house, paying attention to every detail.

Severus and Celer were appointed as architects. They were tasked with building a sprawling home that covered part of the Palatine hill and covering more than 1.2 kilometres.

About the Emperor Nero

Nero ruled from 54AD to 68AD, from the tender age of 16. Due to his young age he was guided by his mother for the first few years. Then he killed her . Oh, and he killed a bunch of other family members too, in order to consolidate his power.

In later years, following the 64AD fire, he imposed heavy taxes in order to pay for the reconstruction. This included Nero’s golden house reconstruction. Of course, this was unpopular and led to a rebellion. He eventually committed suicide.

What does Domus Aurea mean?

Nero’s Domus Aurea means Golden House in Latin. It is known as such as the interior was not only caked in gold, but also elaborate marble and gemstones.

Details about Architecture and Layout

You’ll definitely need to make use of a Domus Aurea floor plan when visiting, as the area is vast. Check out this location map here to help you. The golden palace of Nero had a bunch of over the top design elements.

Here is a list of a few of them below:

• a literal countryside landscape in the city-pastures, lakes and vineyards
• a 30m high statue of the man himself over 300 entertainment rooms
• internal fountains set against backdrops of white marble , angled to reflect the light
• mosaics for the first time were put on the walls and ceilings, not just on the floors
• a huge dome was designed above an 8 sided octagonal courtyard
• underneath the dome there was a moving ceiling that dropped rose petals on those being entertained below! The ceiling was moved by slaves using a pulley system

2 Little-known Domus Aurea facts that even the tour guides forget

• the palace contained – at least it is thought – no bedrooms ! it seems it truly was designed as a ridiculously huge party house
• a young man was taking a stroll through Rome in the 15th century and fell into a hole. He had inadvertently discovered Nero’s palace . Soon, people were queuing up to get into the pit to see the Domus Aurea paintings

Nero's Golden House

Check out some of the online  virtual tours available here to help you get a sense of scale.

Reconstruction

To get a sense of just how huge the sprawling complex was, you can check out this pretty detailed reconstruction video here.

Paintings and Frescoes

Another great video here will show you just how opulent the paintings and frescoes inside the Domus Aurea were.

The Domus Aurea today

Here is a really nice 4K tour of the Domus Aurea as it stands today. You can clearly see in some parts the frescoes on the ceilings and floors.

How do I buy Domus Aurea Tickets

Adult tickets cost €14, with reduced fares starting from €10. There is also usually a small reservation fee to pay too. Children under 6 go free. The visit includes a Domus Aurea virtual tour with a virtual reality component.

This lets you see the restored grandeur of the villa. Click here to get your tickets – the price includes the tour guide.

Info about Domus Aurea Hours

The Nero palace is only open to visitors at the weekends, and visits must be conducted via a tour guide.

Tours are at 09.15am and 16.15 on Saturday and Sunday and need to be reserved in advance here.

Domus Aurea map & How to get there

You will find the site within the Colle Oppio park . The best way to get there is through the Via Labicana entrance. Take Metro Line B and get off at the Colosseum if you wish to use the underground. If travelling by bus take number 85 or 175.

3 Best hotels nearby to Nero’s house that you can BOOK right now!

Rome is full of great hotels – but here we’ve selected three of the best hotels near which you can choose!

This charming second floor apartment is located within a stone’s throw of the Domus Aurea and is perfect for those who want more independence. With four bedrooms and beautiful decor, you can play house in Rome for a few days. There is a minimum booking requirement of 3 nights. In spring, this will cost about €1000.

This hotel is part of the Eurostar Hotel group and is a 5 minute walk from Termini station. The decor is simple, but it is the view from the restaurant that makes this hotel special. Rooms start at €133 per night, with breakfast for 9€.

Vinci House

Located just under a kilometre from Nero’s Palace, Vinci house offers superb accommodation. Simple and sleek decor, along with a great location, mean this hotel is a real contender. Get a double room in the spring for €135 euros a night.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Domus Aurea?

A huge network of part of the partially excavated Nero’s palace.

Where is the Domus Aurea located?

Near the Colosseum, on part of the Capitoline Hill.

Where is the entrance to the Domus Aurea?

Entrance to the compound is accessed via the Colle Oppio Park.

Who built the Domus Aurea?

It was commissioned by Emperor Nero to replace the original palace destroyed in the 64AD fire of Rome.

When was the Domus Aurea built?

Construction began after the 64AD fire and as completed after Nero’s death in 68AD.

Can you visit Domus Aurea?

Visits are permitted only with a guided tour at weekends. Reservations are necessary in advance.

Did the Domus Aurea have windows?

Originally yes, however when the Trajan baths were being constructed the windows were filled in.

How many rooms did the Domus Aurea have?

It is estimated there were 300 rooms - the majority of which were for entertaining.

How tall was the Domus Aurea?

At least 30 metres to hold the massive statue of Nero.

What was the Domus Aurea used for?

It was primarily used for entertaining. In fact, no bedrooms have been recovered, leading historians to conclude Nero never actually slept there.

Visit this fantastic compound of Nero’s when you are in Rome over a weekend. To plan the rest of your trip, check out our extensive guide to Rome’s many other attractions.

Fanny, an ardent admirer of ancient history and architecture, has been fascinated by the Colosseum since her first visit to Rome in 2012. As  a key contributor to the Visit Colosseum Rome blog, she brings her passion for the Roman Empire’s monumental legacy to every article and guide.

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Domus Aurea Tour (Nero’s Golden House)

Explore Nero's incredible Golden House and relive the excesses of the ancient emperor

Price 69 €

(96 Reviews)

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duration 2 hours

group size Max. 22

Tour Overview

Descend into the lost world of ancient Rome and relive the opulent life of antiquity’s most notorious emperor on our exclusive tour of Nero’s Golden House. The emperor’s vast palace - known as the Domus Aurea because its every surface glittered with gold – was ancient Rome’s most spectacular building, and scarcely believable highlights included a rotating dining room open to the starry night sky and a massive artificial lake. Nero’s immense party pad was bulldozed and buried to make way for the Colosseum shortly after his suicide, but on this tour you’ll have the unique opportunity to wander its soaring halls again accompanied by an expert archaeologist. We’ll be able to envisage the palace in all its original glory just as it was in the time of Nero himself - keep your eyes peeled and you might just catch a glimpse of his ghost roaming the abandoned halls! *** All participants 18 and over must book as adults, there is no older student discount available for this itinerary, and due to new regulations for Domus tickets, all participants must provide full names immediately upon booking ***

• Exclusive access to the Domus Aurea
• Tickets and reservation fees
• Expert English-speaking archaeologist guide

• Stunning ancient frescoes
• The Octagonal room
• The Room of Achilles and Skyros
• The Room of Hector and Andromache

Tour Description

Discover ancient rome's best kept secret.

Your tour begins immediately after a brief introduction to the site's historical context provided by our archaeologist. Don your hard hat and you are ready to start your journey! 

We offer two special experiences on this tour: an incredible exploration of the colossal spaces of Emperor Nero’s villa, the famous Domus Aurea (Golden House), recently reopened to the public in a remarkable state of conservation, that gives you the chance to relive the splendour of the palace's rooms, gardens and incredible porticos. 

We only offer this tour of Nero’s Golden House on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The Fascinating History of Nero's Golden House

The Domus Aurea was an enormous complex of buildings, courtyards and gardens that extended from the Palatine Hill to the Esquiline Hill in Rome, covering the whole of the Oppian Hill - that’s an area of over 90 hectares!

Nero's main residence was on the Palatine, and from there an incredible number of buildings branched off which are still connected today via giant underground arcades (such as Nero’s Cryptoporticus, still accessible today and part of his Domus Transitoria on the Palatine Hill, which was destroyed by fire in 64 AD). Much more than a house (domus in Latin), it was a city within a city that unfolded around a vast artificial lake, the Stagnus Neronis (where the Colosseum would later be built). The buildings were surrounded by cultivated land, vineyards, pastures and forests filled with all manner of domestic and wild animals. In the main courtyard of the Domus stood a colossal statue, representing Nero as the Sun God. The pavilions on the Oppian Hill alone consisted of 200 rooms, many of them rediscovered by archaeologists, and which you will explore on our visit to Rome's most exclusive site. 

The huge complex of the Domus Aurea was designed for the emperor’s enjoyment in his free time. There he could stroll and feast with guests whilst enjoying beautiful works of art. The Golden House itself is a wonder in terms of architectural elegance and was filled with prized paintings and sculptures, many of which were collected or confiscated by the emperor in various provinces of the Roman empire. Probably among these were the original bronze of the Dying Gaul and the Galatian Suicide, taken from the Acropolis of Pergamon, and the famous statue of the Laocoon, which was found during the Renaissance and today can be found in the Octagonal courtyard of the Vatican Museums. If you want to learn more about this magnificent statue and see it for yourself, check out our  Immersive Vatican Museums tour.

Nero undertook the creation of The Domus Aurea after the terrible fire of July 64 AD, which blazed for nine days and destroyed as many as 10 of the 14 districts into which the city was divided. The damage was extensive, and many perished. According to legend, Nero enjoyed the spectacle of Rome in flames, which reminded him of the destruction of Troy. However nothing could be further from the truth - his own Domus Transitoria was badly damaged and historical sources tell us that the emperor returned quickly from Anzio to Rome - about 70 km away - to coordinate relief efforts. Nevertheless, his enemies spread the word that Nero himself had started the fire in the Circus Maximus and from there it was simply unstoppable. Most likely to create a scapegoat for himself, Nero blamed the Christians and instigated one of the most famous and bloody persecutions in history. Among the murdered Christians, the apostle Peter was crucified; centuries later, the site of his burial would become St. Peter’s Basilica. 

Incredible Architecture and Jaw-Dropping Frescoes

Nero entrusted the project of his Golden House to his renowned architects, Severus and Celer. The works were completed at an incredible speed, with many of the contructions being completed in just 4 years. The remarkable life of Nero came to an end in 68 AD, when Nero committed suicide before the army and the Senate could find him to sentence him to death for killing his mother, Agrippina, and his wife. Despite Nero’s immensely controversial life, he was proud of the achievement of the Domus: the ancient historian Suetonius cited him as saying: "Good, now I can at last begin to live like a human being. He died shortly after, aged just 31.

Suetonius described the rooms as follows: parts of the house were overlaid with gold and studded with precious stones and mother of pearl. All the dining rooms had ceilings of fretted ivory, the panels of which could slide back and let a rain of flowers, or of perfume from hidden sprinklers, fall on his guests. The main dining room was circular, and its roof revolved slowly, day and night, in time with the sky. Seawater, or sulfur water, was always on tap in the baths.

Suetonius coined the name of the Domus Aurea (Golden House) because "everything was covered with gold and covered with precious stones and shells." The most impressive spaces of the Domus Aurea are unquestionably the various rooms and courtyards, many of which have been completely restored and are part of our unique tour. 

Wander through the incredible halls of Nero's pleasure palace

Our Domus Aurea tour starts in what was a huge porch with columns; we then move on to a grotto containing a large bath with a small waterfall - even though the space is covered, it is anything but dark. Light enters from the side windows of the porch: accentuated in the changing reflections of the water, it bounces off alabaster walls and ceilings and creates a wondrous light, much like a spotlight on a river. Here we're close to the original pentagonal courtyard, which is remarkable in terms of size and structure, and just a stone’s throw from the lush gardens. From here the tour continues to the east wing of the Golden House, where the architects Severus and Celer reached the pinnacle of their trade in the Octagonal Room, the architectural heart of the complex. We'll pause for a moment before admiring the two adjacent rooms: the Room of Achilles and Skyros and that of Hector and Andromache, absolute treasure-troves of brilliantly preserved frescoes.

Next, we proceed to admire the most exclusive of all the spaces: the Octagonal Hall itself, where the magnificence of Nero’s palace never fails to leave us stunned. Our gaze is automatically drawn to the ceiling which is perforated by the form of an open eye that would have revealed an infinite expanse of space filled with stars. From this romantic and ingenious viewpoint, Nero’s fortunate guests would lie on couches and feast whilst admiring the cosmos and the works of art in the centre of the room. This incredibly ambitious structure was a unique innovation in Roman architecture, and it is no coincidence that it became a model to be emulated - such as in the majestic Pantheon.

Read more on our blog:  Nero's House of Gold and his eccentric life

Buried, Forgotten and Rediscovered: The Domus Aurea after Nero

After the death of Nero, a time of political instability followed. The emperor Vespasian firmly took hold of the reins of empire, and headed in a new direction with his government. The gardens of the Domus Aurea, disliked by the people and the senators as a symbol of Nero’s clear abuses of power and waste of money, were returned to the Romans. In just ten years the site of the original artificial lake of the Domus was transformed into a huge amphitheatre, inaugurated by Vespasian's son and new emperor Titus in the year 80 AD to host gladiator battles, which by then were very popular throughout the empire. The giant statue of Nero, created in the image of the Sun God, was moved near the entrance of the amphitheatre using 24 elephants! It was from this colossal likeness that the adjacent amphitheatre took its name - the Colosseum.

Over the coming decades the emperor Trajan successfully inflicted lasting damage to the posthumous memory of Nero, damning his name and ordering the destruction of any artifact bearing his name or image. The Domus Aurea was buried by the majestic Baths of Trajan; the Domus Aurea, a kingdom of light, was scattered and cast into the shadows where it became a kingdom of darkness.

It was only in the early 1500s that interest in the Domus was reawakened, thanks to the irrepressible passion for ancient texts and remnants that animated the culture of the Renaissance. Renaissance artists often braved dangerous conditions and ventured on nocturnal expeditions into these damp tunnels, looking for evidence of Rome's past. The most noble among these expeditioners was the Umbrian painter Pinturicchio, handsomely rewarded by the Borgia pope Alexander VI for decorating his apartments in the Vatican palace. Torch in hand, he ventured into the Domus' caves accompanied by Raphael and his assistants, where they studied and sketched the strange tangled forms and bizarre figures they saw in its frescoes. Inspired by these underground journeys, he reproduced what he saw in many of the Renaissance palaces he was hired to decorate. The artists' signatures are still engraved on the ancient ruins, and our archaeologist will help you to locate them and appreciate their meaning.

Amazing 3-D Animations on our Domus Aurea Tour

What we offer on this guided tour is a real Roman journey to discover the city's ancient splendour - a voyage into both the palace's physical remains and virtual recreations of what has been lost, bridging the gap between modern times and the days of Nero. Thanks to today’s technology, we can superimpose a virtual reality of the past onto the incredible ruins of the Domus Aurea - thick walls traversed by light flooding in from arcades, and beautiful fountains tinkling merrily in porches beyond. Even the palace's fragmentary frescoes are recreated in their entirety, and in their splendidly vivid colours we can admire the famous "grotesque" style that captivated the Renaissance artists who ventured into its dark tunnels, at first with no idea of where they were. Thanks to these virtual recreations, today we can appreciate Nero's love of art and the striking works housed within his Domus Aurea as never before - indeed, as only the emperor Nero himself and a few select guests enjoyed it in the past. For Nero’s palace was designed for the pleasure of only one man: himself. Once a palace of light before it was cast into centuries of darkness, today it is again illuminated, throwing its rays onto porches and windows, onto marbles and precious gems that endlessly fragment and disperse their light. You will see what Nero saw as you stroll unnoticed through his great palace. As you do you can almost feel a foreboding presence, threatening and lost in distant steps that echo down the centuries.

After your two hour tour you will have a new knowledge of Ancient Rome, taking home not only beautiful photos but also great memories of a truly unique experience.

Tour Reviews

5.0 (96 reviews)

So glad we booked this tour it was quite an amazing place to see. I would recommend doing the tour to anyone visiting Rome.

Tara - Jun 09, 2024

Our guide Valentina was exceptional, we were met right on time at the meeting point and provided with all of the information we needed. Her narrative was fascinating and informative. I would highly recommend this tour.

Anne - Oct 11, 2023

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Domus Aurea Rome (Nero's Palace)

Tours and tickets for visiting nero's golden house in rome.

Domus Aurea is the 'Golden House' of Emperor Nero in Rome. After a major fire in 64 AD. Nero built this impressive palace complex, which you can now visit with a tour.

Nero’s Golden House

After a major fire in Rome in 64 AD, Emperor Nero had the huge palace complex Domus Aurea (" Golden House ") built in Rome. There are even rumors that Nero would have started this fire himself to create space for his palace. The 80-hectare complex with more than 150 rooms was the most striking and most expensive palace in Rome , with lots of marble, ivory and gold leaf walls. From the Roman Forum , the palace had an impressive entrance with a colonnade and a 35-meter-high statue of Nero himself at the time.

Nero committed suicide in A.D. 68, so he never had the chance to experience the completion of the palace. His later successor Otho took care of the further completion. Since emperor Nero was not particularly loved by the people, later emperors Domus Aurea partly demolished again to erase the memories of Nero and built other buildings on top, such as the Baths of Trajan. The gardens were surrounded by large gardens and a landscaped lake; the Colosseum was later built in this lake.

Around the 15th century, old works of art were again searched, including the well-known Laocoön group that can now be found in the Vatican museums . Domus Aurea could not be visited for years due to security, but since 2014 part of the rooms and frescoes can be seen again.

Visit Domus Aurea?

Visiting Domus Aurea is only possible in small groups with a guide. There is sometimes even a tour where you get to see what the palace of Nero with VR glasses. Tours are only possible during the weekend, because during the week a lot of work is being done on the restoration of Domus Aurea. Online reservations of Domus Aurea tickets are required and can be done via this website .

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Domus Aurea - Nero's Golden House A Rome Must See! 

By Elyssa Bernard

Updated April 15, 2024

The first time I visited the Domus Aurea  in 2002, I knew I was lucky to see such an extraordinary site from Ancient Rome.

I couldn't believe we could go underground and visit this incredibly intact 2000-year old ruin , and see such vivid paintings and well-excavated rooms. I was awed by the details I could see in the ancient artwork, and the octagonal room with oculus in the ceiling that was so clearly a precursor to the Pantheon . 

Well, I was right.

It was short-lived.

They shut the whole site down to visitors due to too much exposure devastating the ruins. I thought it was closed for good.

Since then, there has been a lot of work restoring the Domus Aurea.

It's become one of the most spectacular things you can do in Rome ! 

The Domus Aurea - What You Need to Know

• What is Nero's Golden House? Why visit it?
• What is it like to tour the Domus Aurea ?
• How and when to visit  and how to get tickets
• Is the Domus Aurea wheelchair accessible ?
• Where is the Domus Aurea ?

What The Domus Aurea is and Why you Should See it

Picture Rome in 64 CE.

Nero is emperor.

Yet another fire sweeps through Rome (this happened a lot back then.)

This time, the 6-day fire destroys huge amounts of land across the Esquiline, Celian and Palatine Hill s. 

Once the fire is out, Nero figures it's the perfect opportunity to build his opulent house of gold.

Just for him (that is a lot of ego even for a Roman emperor!)

Nero's Golden House

Imagine a vast space, probably larger than 4 football fields, that has nature parks, marble-covered pavilions, statues, fountains, sculptures, and atria. 

We are talking about a massive complex of buildings, man-made lakes, gardens, porticos, all glimmering with white marble, ivory and precious materials brought in from around the empire. 

That villa became known as the   Domus Aurea   (literally, from Latin, "Golden House.")

A villa in Rome is not necessarily one building.

The word "villa" in this case usually refers to a large expanse of park space, or rather an estate, in which a wealthy family builds at least one if not many complexes to live in, entertain in, relax in, and just enjoy. 

The Villa Borghese in Rome is an example of a "villa" that is in fact a huge park.

The Domus Aurea was anywhere from 100-300 acres.

Most of it has not been excavated but apparently it occupied much of the area we think of today as "Ancient Rome", i.e. the Palatine Hill , the Esquiline Hill and the Caelian Hill.

This includes where the Colosseum is now.

(During Nero's reign, the Colosseum had not yet been built. There was a huge man-made lake there instead .)

Originally, it was thought that Nero's villa was simply a gigantic place for entertainment, as they had not found sleeping quarters.

But during one recent tour, the archeologist did in fact speak of possible sleeping quarters.

So much is still to be discovered about the use of all the spaces there.

Why "Golden House"?

Nero used gold leaf as decoration in many parts of the villa. Also, most of the structures were composed of white, sparkling marble, and adorned with ivory and jewels.

And finally, the whole thing was  exposed to streaming sunlight.

Today it's underground, but when Nero built and used it, it was on ground level.

So between the white marble, gold leaf, shimmering jewels, and the brilliant sunshine pouring in, the idea was to make this a "golden house." A house that shined.

This fantastic website, Realm of History, does 3-D recreations of some of Ancient Rome's sites, as they might have been.

Take a look .

What happened to Nero's villa?

Nero was probably insane.

He'd killed his mother, killed his wife, and behaved pretty erratically.

In 68 CE he was driven out of the city and forced to commit suicide.

After his death, the senate issued a " Damnatio memoriae ", a Latin phrase meaning "to condemn his memory." In theory, Nero and all he did was to be obliterated so Rome could get back to being a stable, growing empire.

There was a shaky "year of the four emperors", where the first 3 after Nero kept getting killed one after the next.

But the fourth, Vespasian, who took reign in 69 CE, founded a stable dynasty: The Flavian dynasty.

One of Vespasian's ideas to help erase memories of Nero was to get rid of Nero's giant lake. He said (something like), hmmm, let's fill in that pond and make a cool arena we can use for spectator sports. The people will be amused and entertained and forget about all that craziness and instability.

This arena was known then (and still is) as the Flavian Amphitheater (named for the Flavian dynasty which Vespasian began.)

And eventually, it became known as the Colosseum , perhaps because of the colossal statue of Nero that stood there for a while .

Subsequent emperors ( Titus and Domitian ) built more things on top of the ostentatious ruins left behind by Nero, and finally, the Emperor Trajan , said, all right, this has all got to go.

(This was typical of emperors, and frankly, later, popes, who each wanted to leave his own mark on the city, and so, destroyed or built over what his predecessors had done.)

So Trajan had all the spaces filled with dirt and brick - which reinforced the walls and created a solid base - and built his baths on top.

Today you can see what's left of those baths in the Colle Oppio.

This is one reason the area underground is so well preserved.

If Trajan had not had the placed filled in and reinforced, much of the architecture and art would probably have been long ago lost.

When the Domus Aurea was first discovered in the late Renaissance

I just love this story.

Apparently sometime in the Renaissance, a young Roman man fell into a crevasse in the ground, and found himself staring at ancient frescoes on the rubbly walls around him.

When word got out, the artists in Rome of the day, including  Pinturicchio , Raphael and Michelangelo , all lowered themselves in there on ropes, and walked around on top of the rubble (put there by Trajan.)

They gazed at the art, and took with them ideas for their own works.

The style of art we think of today as Grotesque  comes from this, because the artists said it was like being in a grotto, or cave.

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And if you have more time, or want suggestions for extra/other things to do, you'll find that there too.

Visit my page with the best 3-day itinerary in Rome for first-timers .

Influence on later art and architecture

A lot of what Nero did when he had his villa built influenced later art and architecture in Rome and in Italy.

For me, this is one excellent reason to visit the Domus Aurea- It really ties together Rome's ancient past with some of the things you may already have seen in Rome:

First of all, there is the octagonal complex , with its open oculus in the ceiling to allow light in.

Remind you of anything else in Rome? Like the Pantheon ?

Second of all, Nero went against the trend at the time of laying mosaics only on the floor . . . and used them to decorate the ceilings as well.

Later, byzantine-style mosaics would be used this way to decorate church apses around Italy.

Third, the villa was rediscovered during the Renaissance (as I wrote just above), and many painters at the time took ideas from the paintings they saw on the walls there.

Most famously, Raphael's rooms in the Vatican take a lot from the designs he saw on the ceiling of the Domus Aurea.

An archeological site today

The Domus Aurea is today an active archeological dig and restoration project.

Luckily, we can visit these ruins, with a knowledgeable archeologist, who will give you an excellent and very thorough tour of the main catalogued and opened spaces of this vast underground complex .

It is really worth fitting this visit into a trip to Rome, and I would definitely classify it as a must-see in Rome , especially if you like the ancient stuff. You get a much more intimate and closeup, and also un-crowded view of what once was the splendor of Nero's Rome.

What it's Like to Visit the Domus Aurea

I will just say "wow."

The  Domus Aurea  was already one of my favorite Ancient Rome things to see.

But now, with the addition of  virtual reality goggles , this site visit has jumped to a whole new level of AMAZING!

When you first arrive for your visit, you will be given a hard-hat to wear. I guess this is just a precaution, as I cannot see anything falling on you. Even the guide will wear one.

Your guide will be one of the archeologists actively working on the site.

So he/she is really in a position to know all the details.

In fact, each time I've done this visit over the years, the various guides have provided different and new information as more is discovered.

The spaces are large, and it's not claustrophobic at all.

It is however, chilly in there. And it can be damp in parts. So if it's hot out, this can be a great way to keep cool !

Just remember to bring a sweater.

No matter what season you visit Rome, here are 4 things never to leave at home:

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In one of the rooms you will sit down and put on virtual reality goggles .

This is the part about the visit that makes the whole thing a must-see in Rome. The narrator will take you through (in English) the ruins you are sitting in, but make it look as it did in the past.

You will feel transported, as if you are flying around and looking at the huge complex from a drone.

It's one of the most amazing things I've ever done in Rome and I cannot recommend this highly enough!

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How and When to visit

I cannot stress highly enough how you need to plan ahead for this . And in high season, plan way ahead!

When to visit

The excavations are open to the public for guided tours only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays . They are closed December 25 , January 1 , and May 1 .

During the week, they are actively working on excavating and restoring the site, so you cannot visit it then.

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As the guide explained to us on our tour, they finally re-opened it to visitors because, frankly, they need the money to help pay for these works!

You may visit on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays on a scheduled visit with an authorized guide from the site, between 9am and 5pm. ( Visit my page about Underground Rome to find more places to visit, including places you can visit without a guide .)

Appointments are available for groups of maximum 25 people, every 15 minutes, in English, Italian and Spanish. Last admission at 3.45 pm.

The tour lasts about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Want to see some other cool immersive light shows in Rome?

Visit my page with lots more options !

How to reserve tickets

Admission is 18€. 

I strongly recommend pre-booking .

This is a very popular site, and although they are offering visits throughout the day on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, there is a maximum of 25 people allowed per visit, and you risk not getting in if you just show up. Also, it's a good idea to book in the language you want.

The guides give a lot of information and speak quickly, so you will need to keep up!

The fee includes the guided tour and the virtual reality portion .

For tickets, visit Parco Colosseo

If they are sold out, you may try with a tour company (see below). 

The Domus Aurea is not one of the sites available for free or reduced entry with the Roma Pass .

Also, it is not one of the sites that participates in the " Free Sunday at the Museum ", held the first Sunday of each month, in which state museums and sites are free.

Colosseum Ticketing Update April 2024

A brand new ticket system has been launched for tickets to the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and Domus Aurea - check it out here .

A few things to note with this new system:

1. It only applies for tickets from May 1 2024 onwards . If you want to purchase tickets for April 2024, you will need to use the old CoopCulture website.

2. Tickets are currently being released a month out, day by day . On April 8 tickets for May 8 became available, on April 9 tickets for May 9 get released and so on.

3. The new website has a system which puts visitors in a digital queue before letting them on to the site itself, to stop the site crashing due to demand, so don't worry if you don't get onto the site immediately.

4. Not all ticket/tour options are available to purchase yet  so keep checking back if what you want isn't available.

Reserve Domus Aurea Tickets Through an Agency

Do you just want to book your Domus Aurea ticket and be done with it? Have it arrive on your mobile device?

There is an easy way to do this, even if it costs a little more than booking through Parco Colosseo.

Is the Domus Aurea wheelchair accessible?

According to the Domus Aurea official website, Parco Colosseo , " The site is partially accessible to the disabled with wheelchair."

Since they are constantly excavating, and sometimes changing the itinerary, the accessible parts may also change. Just be aware when booking that you may not be able to visit all the places covered on the tour.

Other important things to know regarding the use of the virtual reality goggles is that it is not recommended for children under 13, or to anyone with epilepsy or serious eye diseases.

Where to find the Domus Aurea in Rome

The Domus Aurea is on the Colle Oppio, just next to the Colosseum . It is easily accessible from the Piazza del Colosseo, by walking through the gates of the Colle Oppio park.

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• Rome Attractions
• Domus Aurea Guided Tour

Archeological Site

Nero's Domus Aurea, Guided Tour in English

An extraordinary experience to explore the sumptuous home built at the behest of Emperor Nero a short way from the Colosseum ! This special guided tour is the only way to visit what remains of the Domus Aurea and learn about its history led by an official guide.

about 75 minutes

The ticket includes booking to skip the line at the entrance. 

The route is partially wheelchair accessible. Not suggested for visitors with motor disabilities.

Weekend. Multiple tour start times are available at the visitor's choice.

We recommend wearing comfortable shoes and windbreakers. Underground path with high humidity and rough terrain.

Description of your booking

This booking lets you tour Domus Aurea an official in-house guide. The tour includes a guided tour in English on foot where the majestic residence of the emperor Nero had been built. 
 Because it is a guided tour for up to 46 people, the archaeological site of the Domus Aurea can only be accessed by the public by booking this guided tour. 
 Once the mandatory protective helmet is on, visitors enter the imperial residence to see the frescoed rooms which recent restoration have brought back to light. Because this archaeological area is still under restoration, the tour is aided by the use of 3D viewers. 
 Visitors can sit and watch a film for about 20 minutes that recreates the appearance of how the residence looked at the peak of its glory. The viewers faithfully recreate the majesty of the Roman emperor's palace in ancient times.

What is included

- One admission to the Domus Aurea
 - Guided tour 
 - Helmet
 - 3D viewer for multimedia visits (about 20 minutes) - Paper digital guide of the archaelogical site in English and map

What is not included

- Admission to other sites

The tour's start time and other useful information which will be printed on the confirmation voucher. As there is high demand and limited ticket availability, the time and date of this reservation may be changed. Our staff will contact you if that should happen to suggest alternatives. We will use the contact details you provided when you booked. PLEASE NOTE!!! There are very limited places for this tour. Sending an order and receiving a copy of your order by email is not a BOOKING CONFIRMATION; it is just a booking request. The booking will be confirmed only when you receive the VOUCHER. If the time and date are not available, we will contact you promptly to suggest alternatives or refund your payment if already made.

Price for this package includes entrance ticket with guided tour and a digital guide in pdf format of the archaelogical site with map.

European Citizens 18-24 years old. Price for this package includes entrance ticket with guided tour and a digital guide in pdf format of the archaelogical site with map.

Children 0-17 years old. Price for this package includes entrance ticket (0.00 euros), guided tour and a digital guide in pdf format of the archaelogical site with map.

Temporary exhibition extra charges are added automatically to the on line ticket price. Italy Travels is not responsible for any partial closure of rooms, itinerary changes, cancellations or delays in entry due to force meajure, adverse weather, personnel strikes, or decisions made by the management of the museum or the Superintendency. OFFICIAL TARIFFS OF THE TOUR TICKET Adult - 23,00 euros (from Monday to Thursday 18,00 euros) Reduced - 19,00 euros (from Monday to Thursday 14,00 euros) Under 5 years old: 0,00 euros

Cancellation policy

Entry tickets to the Domus Aurea, once booked,  may not be changed in any way or canceled . Visitors who come after the time printed on the voucher or are no-shows will not have access to the site and will receive no refund, even partial. Once booked, these tickets cannot be changed. We, therefore, suggest you pay very close attention during the online booking process when choosing the date, time, and type of tickets.

When you can visit Nero's Domus Aurea

Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Multiple tour start times are available at the visitor's choice. - 10:00 AM - 11:45 AM - 03:45 PM

Where is located the Nero's Domus Aurea

Meeting point with the guide:  Viale della Domus Aurea, 20 minutes before the tour starting time written on your voucher.

Useful info

The interior is particularly damp. All visitors will be provided with a special helmet to comply with safety regulations. We recommend wearing comfortable shoes and windbreakers. The route is partially wheelchair accessible. For security reasons, this site may be closed even without notice, on the recommendation of the Superintendent. In this case the price paid will be refunded and no further compensation can be requested for the cancellation of the tour even if communicated on the day of the visit.

Nero's Domus Aurea in Rome

The vestibule of the house was so big it contained a colossal statue 120 feet high, the image of Nero; and it was so extensive that it had three colonnades a mile long. There was a lake too, in fact, a sea, surrounded with buildings as big as cities. Behind it were villas with fields, vineyards and pastures, woods filled with all kinds of wild and domestic animals. In the rest of the house everything was coated with gold and adorned with gems and shells. The dining-rooms had fretted ceilings made of ivory, with panels that turned and shed flowers and perfumes on those below. The main banquet hall was circular and constantly revolved day and night, like the heavens. The baths were supplied with both sea water and sulfurous spa water. When Nero inaugurated the house at the end of the works, he showed himself satisfied, and said 'Finally I begin to live in a house worthy of a man.'" (Suetonius)

The history of the Domus Aurea

In the early years of his reign, Nerone had built the "Domus Transitional" designed to connect its possessions. During the terrible fire of 64 A.D. the palace burned completely and therefore it was necessary to build a new imperial residence, the Domus Aurea. The name comes from the Latin, "house of gold". It took this name because of the extensive gold claddings and the ceiling embellished with semi-precious stones and ivory plates requested by the emperator. The villa extended for about 250 hectares, most of the area was occupied by gardens with pavilions destined to parties. At the center of the gardens which included forests and entire vines, there was a pond in part artificial, in which then arose the Colosseum.

Nerone also commissioned a great big bronze statue of about thirty meters reproducing himself, dressed with the old dress of the Roman sun god, Apollo. The statue was placed at the main entrance of the building, overlooking the Palatine Hill. The statue had been adapted over the years with the heads of the various successors of Nerone, before Adriano decided to demolish it, to build the Flavian Amphitheatre, commonly called Colosseum. The “Domus Aurea” was essentially a villa for the holidays with approximately three hundred rooms and none of them used as sleeping rooms. The halls were finely coated in fine polychrome marble or richly frescoed. On each floor there were pools and in the hallways fountains.. The fine mosaics were mainly employed for covering floors, but then Nerone decided to decorate mosaic ceilings of some rooms anticipating one of the main issues of Christian art. Today visitors can admire only few fragments of these old mosaics. It seems that the architects Severus and Celer, designers of the Domus, had created an innovative and ingenious mechanism to ensure the ceiling movement and rotation like the stars in to the sky. After the Nerone’s death, the palace was stripped of its precious coverings. On the plot of the domus Aurea were built the Baths of Titus, the Temple of Venus in Rome and the Coliseum. In forty years, the Domus Aurea was totally buried under these new constructions. The burial helped the paintings to survive as sand worked as the volcanic ash of Pompeii, protecting them from moisture. Towards the end of the XVth century, a young Roman accidentally fell into a cave. The cave was covered with painted figures. Soon the word spread and the young Roman artists lowered themselves down inside the cave to admire the beautiful ancient frescoes. Today the frescoes are faded, but were studied during the Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael. Raphael even took inspiration from the frescoes of the Domus Aurea for the making of the Vatican Loggia. Thanks to the discovery of these paintings, the artistic term "grotesque" was created

The Domus Aurea was the subject of a long restoration, the reopening was scheduled for January 2007, but the great monument continued to suffer from the presence of the traffic of the Capital and to the roots of the trees that infiltrated into the ground, creating further instability. For these reasons the restoration is gone very slowly. On the 30 of March ,2010 collapsed the domus’ entrance vault. This prolonged the long period of closure to the public of the archaeological site, until the year 2015.

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--> Domus Aurea

Domus aurea the golden house.

The Domus Aurea was once the huge and ostentatious palace of Emperor Nero. The only way to get a glimpse of this ancient complex for yourself is to book onto a guided tour.

Note: Domus Aurea is closed until 1 March 2024.

The positives:

It’s never too crowded (the number of tickets is limited). The tour is really high-tech throughout (hello video projections and VR glasses), so you can imagine what the imperial palace would have looked like in all its pomp and splendour all those centuries ago.

The negatives:

The lighting could be better at times – it’s hard to take a decent photo. During the summer, you have to book your tickets well in advance. There’s no free time to explore the complex on your own after the guided tour.

Wear something with long sleeves or take layers to wrap up in – it can get a bit cold down in the underground passages. Make sure you buy your ticket in advance!

Last Modified: 12.03.2024 | Céline & Susi

Domus Aurea Tickets

Guided tour.

Admission, Guided Tour in EN/IT, Duration: 1,5 hour

Guided Tour + VR

Admission, Guided Tour in EN/IT, Duration: 1,5 hour + VR experience

Alternative from

Catacombs of Rome

The details at a glance

Opening hours.

Monday to Sunday: 9.45 a.m. – 4.45 p.m. Only with a Guided Tour

EUR 19 for adults EUR 14 for young people aged 6 – 12 years EUR 1 for kids under the age of 6 years

incl. EUR 1 Reservation fee on the official website

Information

Entrance from Via della Domus Aurea and exit from Via di Serapide.

Bring something with long sleeves – it can be chilly in the underground passages!

Via della Domus Aurea, 1 00184 Roma

Guided Tours

Is mandatory Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes

Domus Aurea Photo Gallery

What is there to see.

What comes to mind when you hear “Domus Aurea” or “Golden House”? I’m guessing you imagine a house adorned with glittering gold?

Well, it’s actually just the name given to the huge palace of Emperor Nero. Calling it an imperial palace just doesn’t do justice to the sheer size of the complex. In fact, it once covered the whole area between Palatine Hill and Esquiline Hill (Oppian Hill). It even had its own artificial lake. All that’s left of it now, though, is an underground excavation site. The remnants of windowless corridors and rooms that have been plunged almost fully into darkness and don’t have any of their original marble opulence left. Luckily, what does remain of the painted walls, mouldings and mosaics is enough to give you an idea of how elegant and palatial the Domus Aurea once was.

Not many people have heard of the Domus Aurea. Even though, it played an important part in the history of Rome’s top tourist attraction – the incredible Colosseum. Nero died long before the Colosseum was built. But it was built on the site of the lake in the grounds of the Domus Aurea after it was filled in.

Something else not many people realise is that Rome’s famous landmark was originally called the Flavian Amphitheatre. It only became known as the Colosseum thanks to the gigantic bronze Colossus of Nero at the entrance to the Domus Aurea. The emperor could never have imagined his legacy in his wildest dreams when he was still alive…

People seem to think that you have to head for Palatine Hill if you want to visit the Golden House. In actual fact, it’s Oppian Hill to the east of the Colosseum you need. You have to join a guided tour, and you have to wear a helmet.

When you arrive at the entrance to the Domus Aurea, you might think you’ve come to the wrong place. The walls don’t look like anything special at all. But just take two or three steps down and you’ll be hit with the grandeur of Ancient Rome. High ceilings, long corridors and painted walls. Sure, it’s all a bit dark, but you can still make out the patterns and colours on the walls.

The tour starts with a video projected onto a wall. This provides a general introduction to Emperor Nero, the Great Fire of Rome and the history and architecture of the building itself. A bit later on, virtual reality glasses will allow you to see through the walls and explore the palace grounds. Wow! Look at all the bright colours, the gold and the size of the complex. You can easily lose track of where you are and what time it is.

Emperor Nero may have been around thousands of years ago, but he still had flowing water, bathrooms and dining rooms in his palace. You can actually still see one of his banquet halls – the Octagonal Hall. It originally had a dome over it to let sunlight flood into the room, but you can just see a hole in the ceiling now. Without a tour guide, it would probably be very easy to get lost in the many, many passages. How did Nero manage to find his way around here? And how long did it take him to get from one room to the next?

You can still see scaffolding – that’s being used for the ongoing excavation work. Did you know that ‘ Laocoön and His Sons’was discovered when digging for a vineyard on Oppian Hill was underway in the 16th century? The sculpture is currently on display at the Vatican Museums .

Domus Aurea A bit of history

In the summer of the year 64 A.D., the Great Fire of Rome broke out near Circus Maximus and took seven days to extinguish. Emperor Nero was blamed for starting the fire (even though we now know that he wasn’t even in Rome at the time). How come? Because he built his imperial palace – the Domus Aurea or Golden House – on the land that had been cleared by the fire.

The words “house” and “palace” really don’t do any justice to the sheer size of the complex, which spanned around 80 hectares in total. That’s the same as 115 football pitches! The Domus Aurea complex had its own vineyards, villas, fields, forests, avenues, statues, balconies, steps, bronze balustrades, pools and baths. And, of course, an artificial lake!

The Golden House was built with huge brick walls covered with gold leaf and opulent marble. Mouldings studded with colourful stones, gemstones and seashells added decoration to the ceilings.

We don’t often know the names of the architects from the days of Ancient Rome, but in this case we do know that Celere and Severo designed at least two of the main dining rooms under Nero’s supervision. Those dining rooms had ceilings with ivory plates that could be moved so that perfume and rose petals could be dropped down onto guests.

The Domus Aurea was built within a short space of time and used by the emperor for an even shorter space of time before being destroyed. Nero’s delusions of grandeur ended when he committed suicide in 68 A.D., after all.

Just 40 short years later, the Domus Aurea had been buried completely under new buildings. Many of the frescos on the wall were destroyed by rubble and damp soil. And yet buried sand saved the “grotesques” (decorations on the wall in the form of delicate, plant-like figures as well as people, animals and hybrid creatures) by protecting them against destructive moisture – much like the volcanic ash in Pompeii.

It was completely by chance that the rooms and corridors were discovered during the 15th century, when someone fell through a cleft in the hillside. The whole complex was buried way underground at this point. But artists like Raphael, Ghirlandaio and Giulio Romano loved these underground passages and would use torches to light up the walls and draw inspiration from the artwork on them. Basically, this was the birth of the grotesque painting of the Renaissance. This genre became even more popular in the 16th century, shedding new light on the themes at the heart of the wall decorations from Ancient Rome.

The site was left alone for a few centuries after that. It wasn’t until the frescos were discovered in Pompeii (at the end of the 18th century) that the academic interest in the grotesques was reignited. The excavation work on the Domus Aurea was resumed at this point.

Around 50 rooms were dug up in the first half of the 19th century. The Oppian Hill Park – home to the ruins of the Baths of Trajan and its gardens – was created at the start of the 20th century, but the structures underneath it were left alone.

Excavation work on the Domus Aurea was stopped until 1939 and 1954, respectively. In 1969, archaeologists in Rome explored the upper floor and made the vault watertight. The Golden House was opened to the public in the 21st century, and the restoration work is still ongoing.

Official website of Domus Aurea (EN): parcocolosseo.it Text and image rights: © ​Céline Mülich, 2020 – 2024 With the support of Susanne Vukan.

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Rafael na Domus Aurea - Passeio pela Domus Aurea e a exposição Rafael

Uma magnífica visita guiada para descobrir a Domus Aurea!

Entrada reservada

Acesso para cadeirantes, visita de grupo, imprima o voucher, duração: aprox. 1 hora, por que visitar a domus aurea.

As salas que pertenciam à Domus Aurea conservadas até o dia de hoje são o legado do esplendor alcançado durante a época de ouro do edifício. Geralmente, cada sala levava o nome dos elementos usados na sua decoração, por exemplo a "sala da abóboda das corujas" ("sala della volta delle civette"), a "sala da abóboda preta" ("sala della volta nera"), e a mais famosa a "sala da abóboda dourada" ("sala della volta dorata"). Os poucos fragmentos de elementos pitorescos que foram encontrados ressaltam o altíssimo nível das decorações; muitos artistas se inspiraram nas grutas da Domus Aurea e, alguns muito importantes, como Rafael, Ghirlandaio e Pinturicchio deixaram suas assinaturas como lembrança da visita à villa de Nero. Uma das esculturas mais famosas recuperadas nas escavações da Villa, é o grupo de Laocoonte que representa o sacrifício extremo do sacerdote e de seus filhos, e que havia sido colocada para decorar o complexo.

UM POUCO DA HISTÓRIA DA DOMUS AUREA

A Domus Aurea foi a villa construída pelo Imperador romano Nero depois que Roma foi devastada por um incêndio no ano 64 d.C. Quando Nero morreu, a villa foi destruída para devolver aos cidadãos romanos todo o terreno que havia sido apropriado pelo Imperador para construir a sua casa. Da luxuoso villa resta apenas uma parte que foi casualmente redescoberta no final do século XV quando alguns excursionistas adormeceram nas grutas subterrâneas e encontraram a pintura antiga e a arte do "grotesco". A villa se estendia sobre uma parte do Monte Palatino, do Monte Ópio, do Monte Vélia e também em uma parte da Colina do Esquilino. Atualmente, do grande complexo da Domus Aurea, conserva-se apenas a parte do Monte Ópio que serpenteia em volta da sala principal em forma octogonal.

O QUE É A DOMUS AUREA ATUALMENTE?

A Domus Aurea que não foi destruída após a morte de Nero e que é possível ver nos dias atuais é uma parte do aqueduto chamado Arcus Neroniani, que fornecia água para a Domus Aurea, uma parte das Termas de Trajano e dos trabalhos de alvenaria do ninfeu de Nero. O que persiste hoje em dia é fundamentalmente um núcleo formado por 150 ambientes cobertos por abóbadas de berço. Do luxo e do esplendor original da villa sobraram estuques e mosaicos, enquanto os afrescos que decoram os corredores e as paredes remetem ao estilo de Pompeia.

CURIOSIDADES SOBRE A DOMUS AUREA

Você sabia que Nero Cláudio César Augusto Germânico foi um imperador romano, o quinto da dinastia júlio-claudiana e que governou por quatorze anos, até a sua morte aos trinta anos? De acordo com a tradição católica, foi Nero quem ordenou a crucificação de Pedro. Você sabia que durante o seu reinado, Nero ordenou a construção de uma estátua enorme de mármore que o representasse? Foi o escultor Zenodoro quem criou o colosso de 37 metros de altura que foi colocado na entrada do palácio. Depois do século V d.C. a estátua foi demolida pelo Papa Gregório I, que não gostou do símbolo pagão representado pelo colosso de Nero.

COMO POSSO VISITAR A DOMUS AUREA?

O único modo de visitar a Domus Aurea é participando de uma visita guiada com horário de início fixo. Com esta visita, você descobrirá a antiga residência do Imperador Nero com todo o seu esplendor, graças às instalações multimídia com realidade virtual situadas ao longo do percurso da visita.

OUTRAS ATRAÇÕES

A cidade de Roma é um museu a céu aberto e visitando-a é possível ver as ruínas do magnífico período da Roma Imperial e os seus monumentos famosos no mundo todo. Seguindo um itinerário e com a ajuda do Mapa de Roma você poderá ver a maioria dos monumentos romanos enquanto passeia. Começando pelo Coliseu , o famoso anfiteatro romano onde gladiadores se enfrentavam e onde eram celebrados eventos importantes, você poderá chegar até o Fórum Romano e até o Palatino. Continuando a visita, poderá seguir o seu percurso passando pelo Altar da Pátria e atravessando a Piazza di Campo de' Fiori, onde há um mercado popular, para chegar do outro lado do rio e visitar o Castelo de Santo Ângelo . Muito próximo ao castelo está a Cidade do Vaticano, que contém maravilhas artísticas e arquitetônicas como a Capela Sistina, a Basílica de São Pedro , os Museus do Vaticano e os Jardins do Vaticano , um local de relaxamento e meditação para o Papa. Alguns dos museus que recomendamos durante a sua estadia em Roma são aqueles que fazem parte do Museu Nacional Romano : o Palazzo Massimo, o Palazzo Altemps, a Cripta de Balbo e as Termas de Diocleciano. Outros museus interessantes, tanto pela arte antiga quando pela de épocas mais recentes são os Museus Capitolinos e a Galeria Borghese . Outros monumentos antigos que você pode visitar são o Túmulo de Cecília Metela, o sítio arqueológico da Villa dos Quintílios e as ruínas do belíssimo complexo das Termas de Caracala , que costumava ser um lugar muito frequentado pelos antigos romanos. Você poderá continuar a sua visita com o Panteão de Agripa e, passando pela famosa Fontana di Trevi, chegar até o Museu da Ara Pacis. Um outro lugar em que você poderá encontrar um encanto especial são as antigas Catacumbas de Roma, os monumentos funerários subterrâneos. Se você estiver interessado em conhecer lugares interessantes nas redondezas de Roma, poderá visitar a aldeia de Castel Gandolfo , conhecida como uma das aldeias mais belas de Itália, além de ser a residência de verão do Papa. Não muito longe de Roma também se encontra a Villa d'Este em Tivoli, que vale a pena ser visitada devido à sua arquitetura e aos seus belos jardins.

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