The Domus Aurea re-opens to the public after eight years
The vertigo to see up close stucco and frescoes, the same who had so influenced the Renaissance artists who first came down in the subterranean newly discovered on Opium Hill. Helmet on his head and walking shoes ready to climb on scaffolding high as ten meters.
Who knows, for once, those who seem to shipyards ‘ infinite ‘ and inaccessible, does not allocate breathtaking surprises. And that’s exactly what ‘s going to happen to the impressive restoration site of the Domus Aurea, closed since 2006 for risk collapse and structural failure.
Eight more months of waiting and Nero’s house, an absolute masterpiece of antiquity, but at the same time fragile and weak creature will finally open its doors to the public. Not all of the monumental complex, sure, but only certain portions of which have been wisely made safe.
The news was announced by the blog ‘author’ of the Domus Aurea, the online diary kept by the director Fedora Filippi, and the entire technical staff of the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage of Rome, and confirmed by the offices of Palazzo Massimo.
Some of the most spectacular treasures of ancient Rome, as he had left them in AD 68 his landlord, the emperor Nero, will be returned to the general public for the summer – autumn of 2014. This means that between July and late September ( soon to be put on the agenda ) next year some areas of the monument will be accessible through a plan of extraordinary guided tours.
As explained by the Superintendence for the Domus Aurea you can already foresee a program of openings for groups strictly limited number, quota, which will affect some areas of the monument, according to the formula of “openings within the worksite.” A unique experience not only to discover some of the wonders cured of the palace of Nero, but also to learn live the articulated machine to save the jewel millennium.
The Octagonal Room was part of the Domus Aurea, a sumptuous residence built by Nero in Rome after the fire of 64 AD. The large hemispherical dome with the oculus was supported by pillars placed on the sides, forming eight square openings which connected the hall with the outside.
RESTYLING
And the makeover is really complicated, including structural consolidation of times and masonry, as well as the decorative paints and plasters, plagued by leaks, the interference of the roots of trees and the weight of the embankment of the garden of Opium Hill.
Without denying surprises unpublished, as in the case of the so-called ‘Environment 34’ the external frontage to the south of the Domus, where they were found numerous decorative surfaces and some fillers, invisible before the implementation of scaffolding.
A goal, as he writes the Philippi on the website, the result of a positive trend of the work so far carried out by a technical staff interdisciplinary, and Related punctually at the top of the Ministry for Cultural Heritage.
Not surprisingly, how do they know, “the entire commissioning process safety has been completed for 32 rooms, and is nearing completion in an additional 11 spaces.” Important numbers when you consider that the Domus Aurea is divided into 150 rooms with a total length of approximately 250 meters and a depth that varies from a minimum of 30 to a maximum of 60 meters.
The particular condition of the underground Domus Aurea, then, depends on the fact that after just 35 years after its construction in 104 d. C. was occupied by the grandiose architecture of the Baths of Trajan.
STRATEGIC PLAN
The Domus Aurea therefore its “strategic plan” that is starting to show results. And the only virtual visits, offered by the December 6, 2012 ( the day of the debut in the ether of the blog) you will arrive at a specific visit . “It ‘s definitely an intensive planning, but the results will come, comment by the Superintendent with a hint of pride. It will not be an event recently, as the Domus Aurea is closed continuously for seven years after, however, partially reopened, only for short periods between 1999 and 2005. After all, so much is known , what is unknown.
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