The House of Augustus, or the Domus Augustana, is the first major site upon entering the Palatine Hill in Rome, Italy. In antiquity this residence contained two levels, each leading to a garden courtyard. The bottom floor is not accessible today, but it is possible to make out the basin of a fountain and the rooms beyond it that were paved in coloured marble. One can imagine the gorgeous view of the Circus Maximus that was possible for the wealthy aristocrats that inhabited what today leaves us a glimpse into just how magnificent the lives were of emperors such as Rome's first, Augustus.