“Maecenas slept above the baths, above the heat and the noise of the waters; his villa was built in such a way that it offered a continuous view of the city, satisfying the whims of his lazy life.” (Seneca – Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium 114.6). Of the large and luxurious residence of Mecenate with gardens on theEsquilino, probably built over the ruins of a reclaimed cemetery area, remains the so-called Auditorium. It was a place of literary and political meetings, frequented by authors such as Orazio and Virgilio. They talk about it – in addition to Seneca who criticized Mecenate for the "his soft life” and the excessive luxury displayed in his villa – Strabone, Tacito and Frontino. Today the space of the Auditorium – which has lost its original vault and was covered by a truss roof following the excavations directed by Virginio Vespignani (1874) – still preserves its imposing semi-underground hall with its stepped exedra perhaps from the Neronian era (it could have been used to allow water to flow and slide rather than to accommodate the seats of guests/spectators), the niches on the sides with remains of frescoes and the access ramp with fragments of a stone floor opus spicatum. The executive project we curated for the restoration, a small archaeological excavation, the adaptation of the systems, the new ticket office with new barrier-free access, was approved. Today the first inspection was carried out in the presence of officials from the Superintendency and the Capitoline Superintendency, the company De Feo Restauri srl and of thearch. Antonio Zavarella who with his group will direct the works and whom we thank once again for having involved us and assigned this exciting project.