Alberto Angela tells the story of Nero and traces his places, from Rome to Naples

Tonight a new episode of Ulysses, the pleasure of discovery will be aired at 9:25 p.m. on Rai1.In this new episode, Alberto Angela will retrace the story of Nero, among the most famous and controversial emperors of Rome. The portrait of Nero that has been handed down by ancient sources is that of a lustful, megalomaniac and bloodthirsty emperor, capable of murdering his mother, Agrippina, and setting Rome on fire in order to give free rein to his urban projects.

In an effort to explain to viewers who Nero really was, Alberto Angela will analyze the life of this character, shedding light on the many dark sides and fake news that have fueled his myth for centuries.

It will begin with the most famous event of his reign, the great fire of Rome that reduced the empire’s capital to a pile of rubble in July 64 AD. The stages of the greatest fire of antiquity will be reconstructed, debunking many of the false myths that have been fed around this tragedy and emphasizing the real role Nero played in this crucial episode not only for the history of Rome, but for the entire Western world. This research will make use of detailed graphic reconstructions and will take place in different places in Rome: it will start from the Circus Maximus, where the flames began, and go all the way to the Forum, one of the places most affected by the flames. Instead, among the ruins of the site of ancient Ostia, we will understand why fires were a constant threat in imperial Rome and visit a barracks of the vigiles, the fire brigade established by Augustus two thousand years ago.

Alberto Angela will then travel to the places that marked Nero’s history: from the imperial villa at Anzio, a few kilometers from Rome, in which he was born, to the remains on the Colle Oppio of the Domus Aurea, Nero’s imposing and magnificent imperial palace, to the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome, which stands where the emperor’s tomb once stood.

There will be no shortage of some of the most important highlights related to the history of Nero, such as the recent discovery not far from St. Peter’s, in the courtyard of the Palazzo della Rovere, now the headquarters of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, of theancient private theater in which the emperor performed privately. On the Palatine Hill the Domus Tiberiana will be explored, which, after careful restoration, has returned to the public after nearly fifty years since the occurrence of serious structural problems that had led to its closure.

Finally, ample space will be devoted to Naples and the Vesuvian territory, to which Nero was always very attached. During the episode we will go to Oplontis, to the villa of Poppaea, Nero’s most famous wife, while in Naples we will visit the Mann, the archaeological museum of Naples, which preserves many artifacts related to the history of this emperor, and the ancient Roman theater of Neapolis, where it is said that Nero performed in public for the first time.

Alberto Angela tells the story of Nero and traces his places, from Rome to Naples

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