Auditorium of Maecenas (Auditorium di mecenate )

 

This hall is part of a broader complex identified as the Gardens of Maecenas.

It was uncovered in 1874 by Vespignani and Visconti, after the area a long Via Merulana had been excavated as part of the city plan for the nascent Quartiere Umbertino (centered around the what is now Piazza Vittorio). Of this wider complex, only the so-called auditorium was preserved, as it was set in the embankment behind the Servian Walls as they came down from the Esquiline Gate.

The structure is 24 meters long and is divided into four parts: a vestibule to the south-east, consisting of a kind of rectangular hall; the main hall; an exedra with steps; and a double ramp in tufa reticulate for access to the south-west of the complex, which was partly below ground level even at that time.

The rectangular hall, a famous cultural venue, had six niches on each wall, which must have been decorated with statues.

The paintings on the walls are of great merit and are still fairly well preserved.

Information and Addresses

Address Largo Leopardi, 2

Price € 3,00; concessions € 1,50

 

 

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