Le Domus Romane di Palazzo Valentini
"Beneath Palazzo Valentini we found a treasure and have given it new life"
The archaeological remains of ancient Roman houses uncovered beneath Palazzo Valentini are now on permanent display, adding to Rome’s already rich historical and artistic heritage.
A team of art historians, archaeologists and architects, all working for the Provincial Administration, worked on a project to research, restore and put these excavations on public display. The results are of exceptional significance, revealing an area that was of great importance in Roman times and which can help piece together the ancient and medieval topography of Rome.
These houses, "domus" in Latin, belonged to patrician families, maybe even senators, of the imperial era. Mosaics, decorated walls, polychrome floors, streets and other findings have been made into a fascinating journey through time by Piero Angela and a team of technicians and experts, including Paco Lanciano and Gaetano Capasso, who have given new life to vestiges of the past through virtual reconstructions, light and sound effects, and projections.
Only 15 visitors are allowed at a time - and book early. This is not to be missed. Gives you a terrific perspective of what a roman house really looked like (okay, a RICH roman's house). Kids will love it - but MUST book ahead. You will wall on glass floors in relatively low light conditions. The audio-visual aspect of this is EXTRAORDINARY - I've never understood ancient Roman life so well after this visit. You will come away really understanding how Romans lived, and how their houses evolved (this house was lived in for over 300 years - starting in 100-ish AD!). over centuries. This is a MUST DO. PS there is a "treat" for you at the end of the house component of the exhibit.
The tour was excellent. You see a lot of ruins in Rome and after a while they all start looking the same. In Palazzo Valentini they make the ruins come to life by using projection on the floor, ceiling and the walls, as well as showing you computer generated images of what the houses used to look like. Toward the end of the tour they show a 20-minute documentary about Trajan's column and the story it tells about Trajan's conquest over the Dacia. After the movie they take you to one of the widows to see the column up close. They also talk about the theory of the existence of Trajan's temple and you can see the huge column laying under the glass floor which may prove that theory. The only negative thing is the booking process. The booking website was not working at all. I called the number on the screen and made reservations, but when we got to the museum it turned out the reservation had been made for a wrong museum. Luckily, there was another English tour a few hours later. It was definitely worth the money and the wait. By the way, you can get a reduced price ticket even by showing a current validated ATAC ticket. Full price is 10 euros, reduced is 8.
ADDRESS:
Type: Museums, Historic Sites
SEE 8 visitor photos
August. For safety reasons entry to the Palazzo is subject to the availability of places. It is advisable to book in advance and the entry cost is € 1.50 per person.
Booking and Information
tel. +39 06.32810
tel. +39 06.32810
Tickets
Full price ticket € 10,00.
Reduced ticket € 8,00 for visitors aged 6-25 years old and OAPs over 65 years old and Provinz Card holders.
Schools € 6,00 for primary and secondary schools
Children under 6 years old, differently-abled citizens with accompanying person: free of charge.
+39 06 32810
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