The Parco archeologico del Colosseo presents the exhibition “L’Amato di Iside. Nero, the Domus Aurea and Egypt“, designed and organised by the Parco archeologico del Colosseo under the curatorship of Alfonsina Russo, Francesca Guarneri, Stefano Borghini and Massimiliana Pozzi. The exhibition will be open from the 22nd June 2023 to the 14th January 2024 inside the Domus Aurea.

The exhibition represents an important opportunity to present to the general public new and evocative aspects of the history of ancient Rome, in particular the link between Rome and Egypt in the 1st century AD through the figure of an emperor, Nero, who established a special relationship with the East and Egypt from a very young age. The protagonist of this story is the Domus Aurea, the “House of Gold”, the gold of the Sun God with whom Nero identified himself according to a vision that was distinctly oriental.

The exhibition route

The exhibition route winds its way through the rich halls of the imperial palace, following a suggestion that allows visitors to delve into Nero’s presence in Egypt and the spread of the Isis cult in Rome, and to discover the monumental spaces of the Domus Aurea through an extraordinary opening of the monument that allows it to be enjoyed every day of the week.

The visit starts from Gallery III, develops in the Octagonal Hall complex, reaches the rooms of the Pentagonal Courtyard, winds through the Great Cryptoporticus and the adjacent rooms, reviving, within the monumental site of the Domus Aurea, Nero’s conception of a space in which to contemplate works of art.

The exhibition is divided into two large sections: “Nero’s Egypt” and “Egypt in Rome”. The story of the first section begins in Gallery III and continues in the Octagonal Hall and the Radial Complex, while the second section develops in the rooms of the Pentagonal Courtyard, Great Cryptoporticus and adjacent rooms.

Lending museums

The exhibition brings together over 150 artefacts and sees the collaboration of numerous lending museums and institutions: Museo Egizio of Turin, Civico Museo Archeologico of Milan, Musei Civici of Como (Museo Civico Archeologico ‘P. Giovio’), the National Archaeological Museum in Florence, the National Archaeological Museum in Cagliari, the National Roman Museum, the National Museum of Musical Instruments, the Capitoline Cultural Heritage Superintendency (Musei Capitolini, Centrale Montemartini, Museo di Scultura Antica ‘G. Barracco’), the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, the Archaeological Park of the Campi Flegrei, the Provincial Museum of Sannio in Benevento, the Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst in Munich.

The catalogue

The exhibition catalogue is published by Artem and can be purchased online at www.artem.org.

Exhibition information sheet

The Domus Aurea will be open every day of the week, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with entrance from Viale Serapide, as follows:

• Monday to Thursday: guided tour of the exhibition.
  Areas to visit: Octagonal Hall and radial complex, Pentagonal Courtyard, Great Cryptoporticus and adjacent rooms;
• Friday to Sunday: guided tour of the exhibition + Domus Aurea Experience (virtual reality installation inside the Hall of the Golden Vault).
• Areas to visit: Octagonal Hall and radial complex, Pentagonal Courtyard, Great Cryptoporticus and adjacent rooms, Hall of the Golden Vault.
• Groups of a maximum of 23 people

Tickets can only be purchased online on the website of the Parco archeologico del Colosseo (www.colosseo.it), in the section Domus Aurea, reservation is compulsory as admission is limited:

– full price ticket: €18.00 (Monday to Thursday); €23.00 (Friday to Sunday);

– reduced price ticket: €14.00 (Monday to Thursday); €19.00 (Friday to Sunday), for visitors between 6 and 12 years of age, school teachers of all levels; MiC employees

– free of charge: minors under 6 years of age; accompanying person (family member or member of social assistance services) of EU citizens with disabilities with medical documentation; I.C.O.M. (International Council of Museums) members; licensed EU tour guides; Italian and foreign journalists with badge, only if previously accredited; military personnel and police on duty, 1 accompanying person per group; max 2 teachers per accompanying person per class.

It is recommended to arrive at the entrance wearing comfortable shoes and appropriate clothing, as the temperature difference inside the monument is considerable (the temperature is approximately 10 degrees).