Ancient Rome meets modern technology as tourists visit an ancient home via livestream tours
ROME– One of the Palatine Hill’s best-preserved ancient Roman residences is open to the public for the first time, but via a live tour of its difficult-to-access underground frescoes and mosaics.
The House of Griffins was first discovered during excavations in the early 20th century on Palatine Hill, the green hill that rises from the Roman Forum and today dominates the view of central Rome with its stunning red brick ruins.
The hill, located right next to the Colosseum, was known for its temples and homes of important citizens during Rome’s Republican era, which is traditionally dated from 509 BC to 27 BC. It became the aristocratic district during the subsequent Roman Empire, when new palaces were built on top of older houses.
The House of Griffins is one of these early houses of the Republican era and was hidden from the underworld after Emperor Domitian built his palace on it in the first century AD.
Now, for the first time, the general public can virtually tour the Griffon House and its recently restored frescoes, including the decoration that gives the house its name: a fresco with an arched lunette depicting two griffins – mythological creatures that are half eagle, half lion.
Visitors won’t actually pass through the intimate rooms of the house, which are only accessible via a dangerously steep underground staircase. Instead, above-ground visitors will see a tour guide wearing a head-mounted smartphone descend into the domus and wander through its rooms, live-streaming the tour and narration.
The live virtual tour serves several purposes: It allows visitors to “see” a domus that, due to its underground location, would otherwise be off-limits. And by limiting the number of people in its rooms, livestreaming protects the delicate frescoes from excess humidity and carbon dioxide.
Project leader Federica Rinaldi said archaeologists don’t know much about the family who lived there, but said they were clearly well-off, given the level of decoration reminiscent of some of the elegant residences of the Pompeii era. The frescoes feature richly colored faux marble designs and three-dimensional cube mosaics on the floor.
“Its location at the highest point of the hill, its distribution on several levels which take advantage of the slopes of the Palatine Hill itself and its preservation make it an almost classic reference today,” she said. “It was certainly a domus of the highest order.”
Starting March 3, the live-streamed tours will take place weekly on Tuesdays, with one in Italian and one in English, although more are planned. Groups are limited to a dozen people and require reservations, as well as an additional ticket beyond the typical Colosseum-Palatinate admission price.
The restoration of the House of Griffins is one of 10 European Union-funded projects in the archaeological park and is part of an effort to disperse tourists beyond the must-see Colosseum and Forum, which are often overwhelmed with visitors.
“It’s an excellent opportunity to enhance the entire territory of the park,” said park director Simone Quilici.
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Paolo Santalucia contributed to this report.
