by After 50 years of neglect, Rome’s “lost” imperial palace, Domus Tiberiana, has reopened as an open-air museum.
Until recently, a crumbling and derelict ruin next to the famous Coliseum, the Domus Tiberiana Palace – built in the first century AD and loved by Nero – hopes to regain its place as one of the attractions for tourists in the city.
The ancient palace sits on the Palatine Hill – the city’s oldest hill, overhanging Rome – from where imperial dynasties ruled for centuries. But over the years, the site fell into disrepair and in the 1970s, the Domus Tiberiana site was closed due to the structural instability of some of the ruins. The closure left what many Romanians described as a “black hole” in the capital’s archaeological core.
Now, after a six-year restoration, the Palace has reopened its doors as a “diffusion museum,” with fruits and frescoes scattered throughout the site to give visitors a glimpse of the palace’s ancient grandeur.
And it was amazing. The Domus Tiberiana was the first imperial palace in Rome, built by the emperor Tiberius which combined and incorporated the former noble mansions built on the hill. Occupying more than four hectares, the palace housed residences alongside large gardens, places of worship and rooms for the Emperor’s Praetorian guard.
As the seat of Roman power and politics, Domus Tiberiana had a prime location, high above the Palatine and Roman Forums, offering its occupants a “balcony view of the city”. Over time, the Domus was decorated and enlarged by other empires, including Nero, who was crowned on its ranks when he was just 16 years old, in 54 AD.
Alfonsina Russo, director of the archaeological park of the Coliseum (where the Domus Tiberiana is located) and lead archaeologist on the restoration, told CNN that the ancient antiquities were exceptionally well preserved., Discovered during the project.
The artifacts — bright stucco, frescoes, amphorae, pots, looms, terracotta, and divinity statues associated with the cults of Isis, Dionysius and Mithras — take visitors on a journey through time, Russo said.
“They make this place – which used to be (lived in) by aristocratic families, and then Roman emperors – feel alive again,” she said. “Seven exhibition rooms are full of extraordinary finds, starting with those that predate the original construction of the palace when the nobles lived in Fatima before Tiberius incorporated them into the Domus.”
Among the newly revealed and frescoes are some of the earliest paintings of lemons (which were considered exotic fruits in ancient Rome, as they came from the Far East) and a representation of a gladiator, proving that the rich families appreciated the games gladiatorial of the era. , Russo explained.
The imperial palace was in use until the 7th century, when it became the residence of Pope John VII. In the mid-16th century, the aristocratic Farnese family – who were powerful local landowners – built the magnificent Orti Farnesiani gardens on the site, decorating them with ornaments and sculptures of nymphs, satyrs and fauns.
“This monument speaks to history,” Russo added. “We have restored (Domus Tiberiana) to the past, but we have more work ahead of us.”
In fact, a concerted effort was made to blend the old and the new. A series of majestic, red-brown vaulted arches that welcome visitors after being carefully rebuilt with the same materials used by the ancient Romans in the past.
“The architectural style is what makes this renovated Domus unique,” said Russo. “We managed to use original materials to strengthen and strengthen the 15 meter (50 feet) high hand-made front arches (which run alongside the palace’s ancient pavement).”
It certainly caught the attention of the public. Since reopening at the end of September, Domus Tiberiana has attracted about 400,000 visitors, a “tremendous success,” Russo said, adding that she believes this incarnation of the Domus Tiberiana offers the most “expressive” visit for visitors with knees.
Archaeologist and scholar of ancient Rome Giorgio Franchetti told CNN, during the reopening of the Domus Tiberiana complex, that Rome “has recovered lost treasures.”
“The Palatine Hill has always been the stage of Roman power politics,” he said in an interview. “Tiberius probably chose this spot to build the palace because it was where his family lived. There are not many places like the Domus Tiberiana where you can really breathe the past.”
For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
