The palace of Nero, one of Rome's most popular tourist sites, will partly reopen to the public in January after being closed for more than a year for emergency repairs, officials said.

The Domus Aurea, or House of Gold, had attracted an average of 1,000 visitors every day until water leaks last December stoked fears that the nearly 2,000-year-old palace might collapse.

Italy's government and the city of Rome have earmarked more than 4 million euros ($5.27 million) for the repairs, which officials described on Tuesday as part of a broader initiative to rescue the city's eroding archaeological sites.

"The Domus Aurea is the crown jewel of a more important (restoration) job we're doing," said Rome mayor Walter Veltroni.

Nero's palace got its name because of gold leaf covering some of its walls, a colossal gold statue of Nero himself which dominated the complex and a play of light from its unusual window designs which gave it a golden sheen.

Only about half of the 32 rooms that were previously open to public will be made available, officials said.

The shut-down has underscored the troubled state of Italy's most treasured ruins.

A 15-meter (50 ft) stretch of wall in the city's ancient forum collapsed last year, crumbling onto a walkway that leads to the Arch of Titus and the Colosseum.

The wall, which experts had considered solid, fell apart at night. Officials said that if it had collapsed during opening hours, the path would have been packed with tourists.