Permanent set · Cinecittà Studios · since 2004

Ancient Rome at Cinecittà.

Over two hectares of the Roman Forum rebuilt 1:1 at Cinecittà — Basilica Julia, Curia, Via Sacra. Built in 2004-2005 for ROME (HBO/BBC), reused for Domina (Sky 2021).

Story

Act one

The construction site
for HBO's ROME.

In 2004 the Cinecittà Studios host one of the largest scenographic construction sites in their history: an entire portion of Ancient Rome for the event series ROME, a HBO · BBC co-production. On the Cinecittà backlot rises a Roman Forum on 1:1 scale with the Basilica Julia, the Curia, the Via Sacra: over two hectares of outdoor scenography among the largest and most expensive ever built in Europe.

The production designer of ROME is Joseph Bennett: the series airs in two seasons — 2005 and 2007 — and tells the end of the Republic and Augustus's rise. The photos from our archive of 1 and 15 February 2004 document the initial phase of the site: scaffolds on the two storeys of the façades, arches traced on the raw masonry, the first columns in faux Pompeian red marble already in place.

The scenography becomes one of the most admired of the decade: it sets the philological standard of the Roman school of Cinecittà, it codifies the visual grammar of the red marble, of the polychrome friezes with blue and ochre circles, of the earth-pigment patina of the Forum façades. Once the series ends in 2007, the set is not dismantled: Cinecittà preserves and restores it as a permanent set, making it available to subsequent productions.

Ancient Rome set at Cinecittà — construction site on 1 February 2004 for the ROME series (HBO/BBC): monumental two-storey façade with metal scaffolding wrapping it completely, arches on the upper floor visible through the scaffolds, a blue platform crane on the left, bricks and panels laid on the yard — **1 February 2004.** The first construction site for ROME (HBO/BBC) — scaffolding across the entire façade

Ancient Rome set — construction site on 15 February 2004: monumental two-storey arch building now with raw masonry and first installation of faux red marble columns, scaffolding on the right still in place, on the left a large sculpted marble column resting on the ground, fragments of paving on the yard, dusty earth, grey winter sky — **15 February 2004.** Two weeks later — arches and first columns already visible

Act two

The restoration for
Sky's Domina.

In 2019 the Sky Original DOMINA series reopens the Rome set at Cinecittà. It is a perfect narrative coincidence: Domina's plot begins chronologically a few years after the end of ROME — right after the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC — and tells the rise of Livia Drusilla, wife of Augustus and first Roman empress. The same historical buildings, one more historical season: perfect continuity.

The production designer is Luca Tranchino (previously Prison Break): he inherits the permanent set of Cinecittà and readapts it for the Augustan era with small chromatic and decorative modifications. Under his direction we build over 40 different sets at Cinecittà, including the complete restoration of the Basilica Julia — the monumental two-storey façade with double order of arches and columns in faux Pompeian red marble we see in the photos from our workshops.

The photos from our construction site of 7 August 2019 and 10 January 2020 tell the complete restoration of the Basilica: load-bearing metal structure, raw fibreglass panels still coral-pink before painting, polychrome frieze and dentilled architrave. Domina debuts on Sky and MGM+ in May 2021 with Kasia Smutniak as adult Livia, Isabella Rossellini as Balbina, Matthew McNulty as Augustus.

The restored Basilica Julia for Domina, front view: two-storey façade with double order of round arches, pillars in faux Pompeian red marble alternating with ivory travertine stone, polychrome frieze with blue and ochre circles between the two orders, walkable stone-slab paving, other buildings of the Rome set in the background on the right — **Basilica Julia restored, 10 January 2020.** Double order of arches, Pompeian red columns, polychrome frieze

The same façade seen from a side angle, in twilight light: arch arrangement closer up, detail of the architrave dentils, ivory-coloured faux travertine sculpted in glazes, yellow site crane in the background — **Side view.** The architrave dentils and the patina of the columns

Basilica Julia construction site on 7 August 2019, backlit view: tubular metal structure already mounted above, first order of round arches in faux white stone on the ground floor completed, metal skeleton of the second floor still empty, the yard with residential buildings visible through the arches, morning blue sky — **7 August 2019.** Restoration in progress: first order of arches redone, second still a skeleton

Behind the scenes

The Roman school
of scenography.

Fifteen years separate the two construction sites — the 2004 one for HBO Rome and the 2019-2020 one for Domina — but the scenographic grammar is the same. It is the Roman school of Cinecittà that crosses decades, with its chromatic and material codes set by tradition.

The Pompeian red marble

The signature colour of the Rome set at Cinecittà is the Pompeian red marble of the columns — a reference to the cinnabar of ancient Roman villas. The technique is oil-paint marbling applied in glazes over faux-stone plaster: vermilion red base, veins in black and powder pink with the brush. Each column is painted vein by vein, both in 2004 and in 2019.

The metal structure

Beneath the scenographic skin is a galvanised metal frame: welded tubular sections forming the arches and architraves, anchored to concrete slabs. Over the metal, modular fibreglass panels on polystyrene core: faux-lime ashlar for the pilasters, round arches with carved central keystone, dentilled frieze for the architrave. The 2004 fibreglass is still today intact: repainted on top for the 2019-2020 restoration.

The polychrome frieze

Between the two orders of arches runs the polychrome frieze with blue and ochre circles in Cosmatesque style. It is the graphic signature of the Rome set at Cinecittà: present since the first construction for ROME, restored for Domina, recognisable even in the widest shots. Above the architrave, the classical dentils typical of Roman Republican architecture.

2+ hectares

the extension of the permanent set on the Cinecittà backlot

20+ years

on stage from 2004 to today · original fibreglass still intact

2 → 4

seasons of ROME (HBO/BBC) + three seasons of Domina (Sky)

Restoration 2019-2020

Five months of restoration
of the Basilica Julia.

Photos from our archive of the site between August 2019 and January 2020: the complete restoration of the Basilica for the Sky series Domina.

Site view: the metal structure of the Basilica Julia seen from the front, ground-floor arches completed with pillars in faux white stone, upper-floor arches still open as a skeleton, behind the basolato paving of the Roman Forum already laid — Metal structure during restoration

Panoramic view of the Basilica Julia site on 7 August 2019: the entire building seen from the front, first floor of arches in faux white stone completed, second floor in skeleton tubular metal structure, in the foreground basolato paving, residential houses in the background — Site panorama — August 2019

Close-up detail of raw fibreglass in the Basilica panels: matte coral-pink surface with bas-relief insets simulating the dentils of the classical architrave, still before final painting, top-down view of the panel base laid on the dusty ground of the yard — Raw fibreglass — pre-painting

Backlit view of the Basilica Julia under construction, taken against the summer morning sun: the ground-floor arches appear as white silhouettes against the sky, the upper-floor metal structure draws a geometric grid — Backlit view — the metal structure

Panoramic view of the Basilica Julia site at dawn on 7 August 2019: two-storey building with ground-floor arches in faux white stone nearly complete, upper-floor metal skeleton visible in its full extension, Forum slab paving already laid in the foreground, bushes and residential buildings in the distance — Panoramic view at dawn, August 2019

Final detail of the Basilica Julia site: close-up of a fibreglass panel with insets simulating the dentilled shelf of a classical architrave, finish still raw pre-painting, base laid on the dusty ground next to a small site sign — Dentilled architrave detail

Second life

From Bennett to Tranchino,
fifteen years later.

The Ancient Rome set at Cinecittà is one of the few major permanent sets in world cinema. Fifteen years separate the two production designers who signed the set: Joseph Bennett builds the original site in 2004 for ROME (HBO/BBC); Luca Tranchino inherits it in 2019 and restores it for Domina by Sky. Same set, two different historical eras (late Republic vs. Augustan age), a scenographic continuity that is the heritage of the Cinecittà Studios.

For us it is one of the most important long-running scenographic projects of our cinema work: from the 2004 site documented by the archive photos to the 2019-2020 restoration of the Basilica Julia. The techniques of the Pompeian red marble in oil and the polychrome friezes with blue and ochre circles entered our standard repertoire and recur in our later archaeological scenography commissions.

The permanent set is still today at the service of new productions: every imperial Rome series shot at Cinecittà starts from here — Those About to Die by Roland Emmerich with Anthony Hopkins (Peacock, 2024) found its Rome at Cinecittà, exactly as Domina found it in 2019. It is the scenographic heritage of twenty years of backlot.

Tech sheet

All production data

Type: Permanent monumental scenographic set · Roman Forum rebuilt 1:1 — Basilica Julia, Curia, Via Sacra
Location: Cinecittà Studios · Via Tuscolana 1055, Rome · backlot of over 2 hectares
Original construction: 2004-2005 · for the ROME series by HBO/BBC · photos from our archive (1 and 15 February 2004) document the two-storey façades under construction
First production: ROME · HBO/BBC · 2 seasons 2005-2007 · production design Joseph Bennett
Restoration for Domina: Site 7 August 2019 — 10 January 2020 · ~5 months · complete restoration of the Basilica Julia · production design Luca Tranchino
Domina series: Domina · Sky Original with MGM+ · 3 seasons 2021-2025 · 24 episodes total · show creator Simon Burke
Domina cast: Kasia Smutniak (adult Livia) · Liah O'Prey (young Livia) · Isabella Rossellini (Balbina) · Matthew McNulty (Augustus)
Narrative continuity: Domina's plot begins chronologically a few years after the end of ROME — right after the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC — making the use of the same historical buildings perfect for the two series
Basilica Julia architecture: Monumental two-storey façade · double order of round arches · pillars in ivory faux travertine stone · columns in faux Pompeian red marble · polychrome frieze with blue and ochre circles between the two orders · architrave with classical dentils · basolato paving
Techniques: Galvanised metal frame load-bearing · fibreglass panels on polystyrene core · fibre-reinforced mortar plaster for the ashlars · oil marbling for the red columns · faux travertine stone in glazes of natural earth pigments
Our role: Photos of the original 2004 site in our workshops · contribution to the 2019-2020 restoration of the Basilica Julia for Domina under PD Luca Tranchino's direction
Sources: Cinecittà si Mostra (official page) · Italy for Movies (Mibact) · Cinecittà News · Period Drama News
Second life: Permanent set · at the service of subsequent productions on imperial Rome (e.g. Those About to Die, Peacock 2024)