House of Livia Archaeological Site

Address: House of Livia, Palatine Hill (Palatino), Rome, Italy

Website: https://parcocolosseo.it/en/

Hours: See Colosseum / Palatine Hill opening hours (varies seasonally)

Admission: Included with Colosseum/Palatine/Roman Forum ticket - adult ticket price varies (approx. mid-teens €)

The House of Livia is a Roman domus on the Palatine Hill in Rome, traditionally associated with Livia Drusilla, the wife of Emperor Augustus, and dating to the late 1st century BC to early 1st century AD.

The house is noted for well-preserved painted garden frescoes that cover entire room walls and for its intimate peristyle garden, giving a vivid example of domestic Roman wall painting and private domestic layout. Many of the surviving wall paintings show continuous vegetal and garden motifs that wrap across multiple walls.

Archaeological work on the Palatine has identified the structure and its decoration as belonging to the early imperial period and associated with the imperial household by later tradition. The rooms and decoration have been conserved and displayed in situ during excavations and restorations.

The house sits on the Palatine Hill within central Rome, adjoining other imperial-era residences and a short walk from the Roman Forum and Colosseum.

• Access: Located on the Palatine Hill and normally visited as part of Palatine/Roman Forum combined tickets, so plan to combine it with nearby imperial residences.

What to See#

• Peristyle garden: A peristyle and small garden court that framed much of the domestic living space and provided the setting for the house’s painted decoration.
• Frescoed reception rooms: A set of frescoed reception rooms and a dining room where wall paintings depicting garden scenes survive on multiple walls.

By metro: Take Rome Metro Line B to the Colosseo station. From Colosseo it is a 10-15 minute walk up to the Palatine Hill and the archaeological area where the House of Livia is located (enter via the Roman Forum/Palatine entrances).

By bus/car: Several ATAC bus lines and pedestrian routes serve the Colosseo/Largo Corrado Ricci area; if driving note the central ZTL and park outside the restricted zone and proceed on foot.

• The House of Livia is part of the Palatine Hill sector and is visited using the standard Colosseum/Forum/Palatine ticket-plan to enter via the Palatine/Forum access and go early to avoid peak crowds.
• The house is compact and can be missed amid larger Palatine monuments, so pick up the official archaeological map at the entrance or follow the Palatine highlights route to make sure you find it.
• If you want quieter viewing, book a timed ticket for the Colosseum complex and aim for an early slot so you can explore the Palatine (and the House of Livia) before midday visitor volumes rise.