Maty Posted March 30, 2010 Report Share Posted March 30, 2010 http://www.ansa.it/web/notizie/rubriche/en...1738535795.html Looks like heavy rains are doing in Nero's last memorial ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maladict Posted March 30, 2010 Report Share Posted March 30, 2010 http://www.ansa.it/web/notizie/rubriche/en...1738535795.html Looks like heavy rains are doing in Nero's last memorial ... From what I've read it was part of Trajan's baths that collapsed, not the domus aurea. Not that that makes it any better, of course. A bad day for Rome, as part of the Aurelian walls also collapsed today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docoflove1974 Posted March 31, 2010 Report Share Posted March 31, 2010 Wow...wonder what things will look like in June, if they will have any of that re-opened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caesar novus Posted March 31, 2010 Report Share Posted March 31, 2010 (edited) I believe the baths of Trajan fell INTO the restored part of Domus Aurea... and they are really mainly concerned about the Domus, which the mayor is checking out with a bunch of other officials. My book has maps showing the restored part of D.A. positioned mainly under the open (exercise?) courtyard of the baths, although Trajan's walls also cross over with potential of heavy rubble. I can't quite make out where the famous octagon room is, and of course the D.A. actually sprawls all over the place. The D.A. has been closed for years, but maybe like the Assisi smashup, this will end up with a descent restoration. Edited March 31, 2010 by caesar novus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caesar novus Posted March 31, 2010 Report Share Posted March 31, 2010 Wow, what really happened seems to be quite different than stated above. If you do a google NEWS search and open up the top 5 articles, you can start to infer who has the details and who is jumping to conclusions. There is a video of damage in http://www.digtriad.com/news/watercooler/a...0&catid=176 (but not the best article for facts). The story looks so subtle that it almost defies explanation. Let me lob a few challenges to assumptions here instead, although they are not exactly correct either. RAIN DID NOT CAUSE THE PROBLEM! (workmen triggered it, but rain has made it almost unworkable). THE DOMUS AUREA WAS NOT DAMAGED! (it was some weird extension by Trajan, never on show to tourists). D.A. IS NOT, WAS NOT, AND WON'T BE CLOSED... OR OPEN! (history, present, and ambitous plans endlessly cycle thru partial closures) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caesar novus Posted March 31, 2010 Report Share Posted March 31, 2010 (edited) Further reading of Coarelli's "Rome and Environs" sheds some light on this whole story of Nero's house being mowed down by following emperors to pander to Nerophobes. Why would they waste such a thing with total destruction - better to hide it. Apparently Trajans baths actually utilized the underlying parts of Domus Aurea (the famous part open to tourists) as a functioning basement, and that's why Trajan added extensions to that underground complex. Workmen were apparently trying to make extensions able to accept tourists as well, and those plans are only delayed and not necessarily cancelled. So I guess this quote stands true From what I've read it was part of Trajan's baths that collapsed, not the domus aurea. From a tourist point of view, I regret always accepting the story the D.A. was closed. Better to just show up once in a while just in case of an unannounced partial opening. Edited April 1, 2010 by caesar novus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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