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14 December 2005
One of Rome's most popular tourist destination sites has been forced to close after heavy rain threatened to collapse some of the walls. Rocco Buttiglione, Italy's culture minister, announced that the palace of the Roman emperor Nero would be shut for at least two years as the current state of the building meant that authorities could not guarantee the safety of staff and visitors.
Mr Buttiglione estimated that restoration would cost at least €5 million and warned that unless funding is maintained for the arts then such buildings will no longer be able to be maintained.
"Rome is a huge, open-air museum and we are managing it with reduced personnel and budget constraints," he said.
"This is not a technical problem, it's a political one. Italy must decide if it wants to preserve its immense cultural heritage."
The Domus Aurea, or House of Gold, was built by Nero after the great fire of AD 64 destroyed half the city and is so-called due to the gold leaf adorning some of the walls as well as the gold statue of Nero.
After two decades of restoration one fifth of the palace, which is located next to Rome's Colosseum, was opened to the public and attracts on average 1,000 visitors every day.
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