New livestream tours take visitors inside the ancient Casa dei Grifi on the Palatine Hill.
Rome’s Colosseum Archaeological Park has opened a richly-frescoed ancient Roman house to the public for the first time, however visitors will only gain access via a livestreamed tour.
First discovered in the early 20th century, the Casa dei Grifi or House of the Griffins is one of the best-preserved ancient Roman homes on the Palatine Hill.
The Republican-era residence dates back to the late second or early first century BC, the house is celebrated for its exceptional wall paintings which feature sophisticated architectural illusions of columns and marble panels.
It also contains some of the earliest known examples of opus scutulatum (floor mosaics with embedded polychrome marble shards) and white stucco griffins from which the house gets its name.
Much of the structure was inadvertently preserved when it was filled with soil during the first century AD to provide a solid foundation for the construction of the Palace of Domitian.
Because the most significant rooms are located on an underground level accessible only by a dangerously steep and narrow staircase, the site has implemented a high-tech touring model.
Visitors occupy an above-ground space while a guide, equipped with a head-mounted camera, descends into the chambers to livestream a tour.
Starting from 3 March, tours will be held every Tuesday (at 14.00 in Italian; at 15.00 in English), for groups of up to 12 people.
The opening of the Casa dei Grifi follows a multi-year scientific restoration completed in late 2024 and was financed by the European Union’s post-covid recovery fund (PNRR) as part of the Caput Mundi initiative.
Photo credit: Simona-Murrone / Parco archeologico del Colosseo.
