Villa remains open in Rome

ROME -- The restored ruins of two opulent Roman villas and private thermal baths have opened to the public here, equipped with a 3-D reconstruction that offers a virtual tour of the luxurious residences found in downtown Rome.

A 2,000-square-yard complex, dating from the second to fourth centuries, features well-preserved mosaic and marble floors, bathtubs and collapsed walls that archaeologists believe belong to a domus -- the richly decorated residences of Rome's wealthy and noble families.

"We found part of a residential high-class neighborhood, where probably senators and knights used to live," archaeologist Paola Valentini said. Visitors will be able to walk on glass catwalks above the villas' underground remains, immersed in semidarkness just a few feet from the modern city.

Another historic site, Emperor Augustus' frescoed palace atop Rome's Palatine Hill, will partially reopen to the public March 2 after decades of restoration work, officials said.

Palatine is one of the city's famous seven hills.