Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The showstopper is the decoration covering an entire room from Villa Livia, one of the
homes of Augustus' wife Livia Drusilla. The frescoes depict a paradisaical garden full of
a wild tangle of roses, violets, pomegranates, irises and camomile under a deep-blue sky.
These decorated a summer
triclinium
, a large living and dining area built half under-
ground to provide protection from the heat. The new display includes special lighting that
mimics the modulation of daylight and highlights the richness of the millennia-old col-
ours.
In the basement, the unexciting-sounding coin collection is far more absorbing than you
might expect, tracing the Roman Empire's propaganda offensive via coinage. There's also
jewellery dating back several millennia that looks as good as new, and the disturbing re-
mains of mummified eight-year-old girl.
