Four frescoed rooms in the house of the Emperor Augustus on the Palatine Hill open to the public on 10 March. The house, which was first discovered in 1970s is made up of a dining room, a bedroom, a large entrance and a study.

Frescoes found in fragments on the site have now been restored and are believed by experts to be some of the most splendid examples of Roman wall paintings of the period, and on a par with those now on display at Palazzo Massimo in the exhibition Rosso Pompeiiano.

The rooms are so small and the frescoes so precious that only five people will be allowed to visit the site at once.

Augustus was the first emperor of Rome and ruled from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD. The house is thought to date from before the time that he became emperor, during the period when he was adopted by his great uncle Julius Caesar.

A single ticket will cover a guided tour of the house, the Roman Forums, the Palatine, the Colosseum and the current exhibition