Domus Aurea

The vast palace the emperor Nero built for himself after the great fire of 64 AD once sprawled across several hills with gardens and an artificial lake where the Colosseum later stood. After his death the complex was stripped and buried beneath later construction, which preserved its frescoed and stuccoed rooms underground. Rediscovered in the Renaissance, its painted grotto-like interiors inspired the decorative style known as grotesque. Guided visits descend into the cool, dimly lit halls beneath the hill.