At last, the Domus Tiberiana is made accessible

It is not always about discovering and excavating a site, it is also about making that site available to the public. It is very nice to see the pictures or short videos, but there is nothing like experiencing the visit of an archaeological site by yourself.

Domus Tiberiana - View from the Regia area

[Credit: Parco archeologico del Colosseo]

The good news these days is that after being closed for 40 years, the Domus Tiberiana, the Villa of Emperor Tiberius will be made accessible to the public by the end of this year. This edifice is part of the Palatine Hill and is located inside the perimeter of the archaeological park of the Coliseum in Rome.

Excavations carried out occasionally in the 1800s and in the 1900s had exposed sections of Tiberius' Villa and currently a new room is being unearthed that surely will expose the splendor of his days.

The Villa site has been scrutinized and excavated since the 1600s when it was used as a dump. In the next underlying layer, the remains of an entire family were exposed. They counted seven people that could have been killed during epidemic or another traumatic event that occurred in the 1200s. Digging deeper, coins from the 7^th century were found and below that layer the remains of a wall with a lamp still standing intact inside a niche were unearthed and belonged to the 4^th century AD.

The plan is to organize the visit of the Domus Tiberiana in such a way that the visitor can access several rooms that will include showcases displaying the luxuries of daily life.