At the crossing of the Via Merulana and Via Leopardi stands an unremarkable-looking building of the Augustan period. A rectangular building with an apse at one end, this small building once stood very high, as it still stands a respectable distance above modern ground level, and the floor of the building was considerably below even the ancient ground level. In the semi-circular apse are rows of seats reminiscent of a theatre. The walls were once decorated with beautiful paintings and some of these have survived. The true nature of this building is uncertain. It's purpose is unknown and its connection with Maecenas (a friend of Augustus) is made only due to the fact that his garden supposedly covered this area.
Access: The outside is visible as mentioned above. Though I have found times in some guides, it has never been open when I have visited and I believe is one of Rome's many monuments that can only be entered with prior permission.
Contemporary with the Colosseum, these baths were constructed almost next to the amphitheatre among the torn-down ruins of Nero's Domus Aurea. They were considerably smaller than the later baths of Trajan, Caracalla and Diocletian that can be seen in Rome. Very little remains of them. Some of the support structures stand close to the colosseum and one apsidal building has been uncovered in the Oppian park during recent excavations. Two basins of granite and porphyry now in the Vatican were found among the ruins of the baths. The fragmentary remains are not worth a special visit, though most visitor will be passing them anyway due to the proximity of the Colosseum.
Access: The large piers are clearly visible next to the Colosseum. The only other fragment is above them in the park and is on open land.
Among the many structures built in Rome by Trajan, these baths (like the others) were constructed by the great architect Apollodorus of Damascus. Constructed right next to the Baths of Titus (so close they almost touched), these baths were much larger. Their size and plan are closely echoed by the baths of Caracalla and Diocletian and were the first bath complex in Rome on such a monumental scale. Of the ruins, only fragments survive (mostly consisting of three great exedra) within the park on Monte Oppio. The process of the demolition of Nero's Domus Aurea was almost completed with the construction of these baths. Large parts of the remaining structures were pulled down to make room for the baths and other parts were used as supports beneath them. The huge semi-circular front of the current entrance to the Domus Aurea is actually beneath the grand exedra at the south of Trajan's baths and marks out their plan.
Access: The baths are currently undergoing excavation and restoration, yet are clearly visible within the park.
The Golden House was the most opulent palace ever built in Rome. Covering more than 150 acres, the palace was constructed beginning in 64 AD over the ruins of many houses and insulae after the great fire that destroyed much of the centre of Rome. This massive palace complex was constructed to replace Nero's Domus Transitoria on the Palatine. Legend suggests that Nero started the fire to give him room for the palace, though this is extremely far-fetched. Accounts tell us of rotating dining rooms, daring indoor waterfalls and other lavish features. The many works of art that adorned the palace were removed after Nero's death by various successors and moved to different locations. Others that survived were removed during the renaissance. As well as the actual palace buildings, the complex involved a massive landscaped park with an ornamental lake (upon which the Colosseum was later built.) In fact, the Domus Aurea occupied parts of the Palatine, Oppian and Celian hills, with the lake (site of the Colosseum) at its centre. It was a truly massive palace, with an approach arcade that led most of the way along the forum and required that the path of the Via Sacra be moved. After Nero's suicide and damnation the entire complex was left to rack and ruin, suffering fire damage in 104 AD. Vespasian had the lake backfilled for the Colosseum and Titus built his baths on part of the house's portico. Domitian seems to have levelled the parts on the Palatine while constructing his own new palace after the fire of 80 AD. Trajan built a huge bathing complex on the ruins of the main house. Finally, Hadrian dismantled the vestibule and moved the Colossus of Nero, having the Temple of Venus & Rome constructed over the ruins. The remains that can be visited these days are of parts of the main house on the Oppian hill that have survived as they were used as supports for Trajan's baths. Though their construction is somewhat confusing due to the extra support walls of Trajan, the delights of the Domus Aurea centre mostly around the decoration which has survived remarkably.
Access: During my first visit, the Domus Aurea was open with timed guided visits, pre-booked. Between then and now, the Domus has been closed for restoration and repair, though I believe it is now open once more. Access is on Via Serapide, just to the northeast of the Colosseum in the Oppian park.
These impressive cisterns may once have been connected with the Domus Aurea, though this is often contested. Whatever their original intent, they were either constructed or altered in the reign of Trajan to serve as a massive store for the huge amount of water required in the emperor's new Bath house. They were served by a branch of aqueduct known as the Aqua Traiana, though we do not know which of Rome's main aqueducts this branch was deviated from. The complex consists of nine huge parallel chambers on two levels. Partially carved out underground and partially constructed above the surface, they stand on a slope above the baths. This huge cistern could hold over 1 and a half million gallons of water. Above the Sette Sale are the fragmentary remains of a luxurious villa originally identified in 1730 and excavated in the 1970s.
Access: Unfortunately, the Sette Sale is visitable by appointment only and the ruins of the villa above are completely inaccessible otherwise. The view of the complex below is through the gates on Via della Sette Sale in the Oppian Park.
