Itineraries in Rome - The Domus Aurea

Itineraries in Rome - The Domus Aurea ( from Nero and Maecenas to the Baths of Caracalla )

The Domus Aurea, the mother of Roman dungeons.
Such a statement is certainly not far-fetched, since Nero's residence is the largest and most fascinating hypogeum that Rome preserves in the bowels of its land. The Domus Aurea still preserves intact the original paintings, the rooms of the alcove, those of the triclinium and the long cryptoporticus; all forming a veritable underground labyrinth in the web of which one can move almost only with the archaeological plan and not without some effort. Nero decided to build his palace, which according to him was to be the largest and most valuable in the world, after the famous fire of 64 AD that destroyed three regions and damaged four of the fourteen Augustan ones. The greatest damage was found among the hills Oppius, Fagutal and the Carinae. Nero decided to build his palace, which according to him was to be the largest and most valuable in the world, following the famous fire of 64 A.D. that destroyed three regions and damaged four of the fourteen Augustan ones. The greatest damage was found among the hills.Oppius, Fagutal and the Carinae. It was precisely in this area that the new palace, the Domus Aurea, was built. Suetonius pompously illustrates the Neronian residence and we must certainly give him credit if only we were to examine the surviving structures that were stripped of their richest elements before being concealed.during the time of Trajan. Already during the Flavian Empire the entire area had been largely altered, especially for the construction of the Flavian Amphitheatre, which took the place of Nero's famous artificial lake. The pre-existing structures, on which the two architects Severus and Celerus worked actively, were only slightly altered and were inhabited at least until 104, when a fire destroyed them. Immediately afterwards, they were covered over to create the floor that would have housed the gigantic bulk of Trajan's baths.