The House of Griffins, an ancient Roman residence on Rome's Palatine Hill dating back to the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C.E., is opening to the public on March 3 after a major restoration. Discovered by archaeologist Giacomo Boni in the 19th century, the domus features vivid frescoes, mosaic floors, and a stucco lunette with griffins. The Colosseum Archaeological Park led the restoration in 2024, reinforcing structural integrity and conserving wall paintings. Visitors cannot access the underground chambers directly; instead, they will experience a real-time, remote tour via a livestream narrated by a guide with a video camera.
This opening matters because it makes a previously invisible, well-preserved Republican-era building accessible for the first time, blending archaeology with digital technology. The project, one of 10 initiatives at the park backed by the European Union's National Recovery and Resilience Plan, sets a potential standard for integrating technology into heritage site tours. It also offers rare insight into elite Roman domestic life before the Imperial palaces were built over the site, preserving a key piece of ancient history for contemporary audiences.