2024-12-11T17:02:24-05:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/150271882/domus-aurea-reopens-with-an-improved-ramp-and-entryway-from-an-italian-maestro Josh Niland 2021-06-30T18:03:00-04:00 >2024-10-25T04:07:38-04:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/d8/d8c3071d387e98e7d805013f5f3456fe.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><p>The Domus Aurea in&nbsp;Rome is open once again with a new feature following a 14-month hiatus after the coronavirus pandemic forced the 2,000-year-old palace&rsquo;s shutdown.</p> <p><a href="https://archinect.com/firms/cover/1644/stefano-boeri-architetti" target="_blank">Stefano Boeri Architetti</a> helped welcome back the public with an improved ramp and new entryway featuring an exhibition titled &ldquo;Raphael and the Domus Aurea: The Invention of the Grotesques.&rdquo; The event will coincide with a show at the Scuderie del Quirinale observing the 500th anniversary of the death of the painter and architect.</p> <figure><p><a href="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/61/61e361c8c5ee26af20fdec88a7204fc5.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&amp;enlarge=true&amp;w=1028" target="_blank"><img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/61/61e361c8c5ee26af20fdec88a7204fc5.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&amp;enlarge=true&amp;w=514"></a></p><figcaption>Photo: Lorenzo Masotto</figcaption></figure><p>Originally the <a href="https://www.archaeology.org/issues/187-1509/features/3562-golden-house-of-an-emperor" target="_blank">replacement home</a> of 1st-century ruler, Emperor Nero, the Domus came back into prominence during the High Renaissance in large part due to its display of ancient grottos filled with <a href="https://www.apollo-magazine.com/horrible-art-histories-grotesque/" target="_blank">grotesques</a>. The Roman paintings&nbsp;were noteworthy enough to attract <a href="http://albertis-window.com/2014/04/raphaels-studio-graffiti-and-grotesques-at-the-vatican/" target="_blank">visits</a> from influential figures throughout Europe including luminaries like Michelangelo and the Marquis de Sade.<br></p> <p>Now, with help from Boeri, the curious can once again be transported through the maze of frescoed gall...</p>