Ninfeo degli Annibaldi

A nymphaeum (monumental fountain) dated back to the end of the first century BC and the beginning of the first century AD was discovered in 1895 during the works for the realization of Via degli Annibaldi. It was part of a house that was destroyed later to make room for the construction of the Domus Aurea by Nero. The monument today is cut in two by the wall that retains the modern street and can be accessed through a small spiral case situated at the street level. The nymphaeum was originally elliptical with a basin at its center. The room has wall niches surmounted by medallions and is decorated by a mosaic made of seashells, enamel, pumice stone, and gravel, in an attempt to recall sea caves that nymphaea actually tried to reproduce.