On 13 December 2024, the new entrance to the Domus Aurea inside Gallery XXIV was inaugurated and the western sector of Nero's residence was reopened, after years of closure due to safety measures and improvements in the monument's access. The opening of the new entrance allows for an expansion of the visit route which, winding through the rooms of Nero's palace starting from the western sector, culminates in the radial complex of the Sala Ottagona.
In this way, visitors can enter the Domus Aurea through the Neronian portico, which runs along the entire façade of the building, highlighted by the excavations carried out in recent months, and continue the journey to discover the most famous rooms in this sector, such as the Sala della Volta Gialla, which retains the name of Pinturicchio, and the Sala della Volta delle Civette, made more evocative by the expansion of the lighting system already present in the rest of the monument.
Thanks to the collaboration with the Uffizi Galleries, the statue of the so-called Nymph with Panther is also being exhibited on this occasion, a fascinating reminder of the Emperor Nero’s connection with the Ptolemaic-Alexandrian world. The sculpture is probably to be identified with the “Diana with Leopard” seen by Vasari in the Hall of Niches in Palazzo Pitti, which entered the Medici collections towards the middle of the sixteenth century and was placed in the Uffizi at the end of the same century. From the end of the nineteenth century onwards, the sculpture was identified as a nymph in the Alexandrian style. It is a work of high quality and refinement, as demonstrated by the use of Greek marble and the search for transparent effects in the drapery, the result of the eclectic reworking of a Roman artist, which can be dated between the 1st and 2nd century AD. The important sculpture will be hosted in the rooms of the Domus Aurea until February 9, 2025, becoming its architectural perspective according to Nero's concept of using the space of the palace to contemplate the works of art exhibited therein. The commitment of the Colosseum Archaeological Park to the conservation and enhancement of this important monumental site continues in the coming months, exactly in the western sector, with the restoration work on the frescoes, made possible thanks to the progress of the Integrated Protection System created in the garden overlooking the Domus Aurea. The restoration work on the frescoed surfaces can be seen by the public on Friday in the "open construction site" mode.
Photo credits: Simona Murrone, Domus Aurea, Nymph with panther from the Uffizi Gallery, Colosseum Archaeological Park
Condividi
