The word 'palace' comes from this huge house built on the Palatine Hill where Rome was founded. It overlooks the forum and downtown Rome and this room pictured was the private stadium for chariot racing and in the summer it was flooded for boat races. Incidentally, the Vatican was also enormous before Mussolini persuaded the pope to turn it into a museum and move next door. Popes had to get about by donkey and special donkey staircases were built for them.