The Palatine Hill: the roman emperor's palace

THE PALATINE HILL: THE ROMAN EMPERORS' PALACE

The Palatine hill is the most important of the seven hills of Rome and you can enter it either from inside the Roman Forum or from a separate entrance across from the Colosseum, up from the Arch of Constantine. The Palatine looks down over the Forum and it is the place where Romulus founded Rome in 753 BC.
Romulus chose the Palatine as the ideal spot to build his new city: remains of a wall and moat have been discovered beneath this hill ,which some scholars claim to be the remains of the boundaries of early Rome.

During the republican period, this hill of Rome became the chief residence quarter of the wealthy roman families. Access to this hill was given by the clivus Victoriae and the clivus Palatinus and by steps leading up from the Forum behind the temple of the Castors.
When Augustus became emperor, he built his new house here to live with his wife Livia like Romulus did seven centuries before.
Augustus's house, not open to the public at this writing ( 2006 ), was divided into two parts: a large, public area and a smaller, private area decorated with splendid paintings.

The english word " palace" as well as the french term " palais " are both coming, in their etymology, from the name " Palatine ".

Tiberius, Augustus's adoptive son and successor, replaced the modest house of Livia and the hut attributed to Romulus with a grander residence on the north side of the hill overlooking the Forum Romanum. This, the Domus Tiberiana, was refurbished in the late first century by the Flavian emperor Domitian and supplemented by a much larger palace on the south half of the hill, the Domus Augustana, full of architectural surprises, thanks to the design of the architect Rabirius.

Another famous Roman who lived on the Palatine was Nero, in his residence called "Domus Transitoria" built, as the name says" as a temporary residence" before he burned the city to start his new residence, the Domus Aurea.
The rooms built by the emperors who came after Nero were specially designed for parties and solemn ceremonies. The central part was a basilica, where important trials were run before the emperor. It came then the Throne Room, were official ceremonies were held. Behind these rooms there was a courtyard, the Peristyle, surrounded by a portico with enormous columns, at its centre there was a fountain.

At the sides of the peristyle there were baths and official rooms. Beyond the peristyle there was a Triclinium, the dining room, the Ninpheum at its flank, with a large fountain, was used instead as summer dining room. With the Settizonio , conceived as monumental entrance for the people coming from the Appian Way, Septimius Severus completed the imperial Palaces upon the Palatine. The edifice was demolished by the pope Sixtus V, but the beautiful terrace from which it is possible to enjoy one of the best panoramas is still preserved.
The Settizonio Colonnade entrance was painted by Botticelli inside the sistine chapel when he frescoed the events of Moses life and you can see it in this picture ( upper right corner ). The Quattrocento frescoes have explanatory titles in latin language.

in 1550 Cardinal Alessandro Farnese purchased the Palatine hill and he built a grand villa, cultivated a beautiful garden, ( Horti Farnesiani ) creating the world's first botanical garden still partly preserved.