A 2,000-Year-Old Roman House Opens Via Live Stream

A remarkably preserved 2,000-year-old Roman residence known as the “House of the Griffins” has opened to the public on Rome’s Palatine Hill, but with a unique, high-tech twist.

Because its stunning underground floor—decorated with fragile mosaics, frescoes, and stucco—is only accessible via a dangerously steep and narrow staircase, the Colosseum Archaeological Park has implemented a live-streamed guided tour system to protect the site.

Visitors now gather in a separate room where a guide, wearing a head-mounted camera, descends into the ancient home and beams a real-time video feed back to a projected wall display, complete with expert narration.

This innovative approach, funded by the European Union’s post-COVID recovery funds, allows widespread public access for the first time to a Republican-era treasure that was previously restricted to academics.

The initiative merges modern streaming technology with ancient history, preserving the delicate archaeology while offering an immersive, remote viewing experience of one of Rome’s oldest aristocratic homes.