Where it was filmed 'Domina'

The series was shot almost entirely at Cinecittà Studios where, on the huge set of Ancient Rome, the sumptuousness of the Augustan city was recreated. The Rome of this time was rendered with a modern look, with the vitality and contradictions typical of an expanding city. The chaotic, pulsating alleys of the Suburra, (today the Roman neighbourhood of Monti) crammed with workshops and apartment buildings housing the lowest rungs of Roman society (gladiators, artisans, prostitutes and plebeian families) were recreated.  A large staircase was used to hint at the severity of the Senate while underground rooms, for magic and archaic rituals, were also built.

The few scenes with a lake or woodland setting were shot outside the Studios, on the Sabini mountain range between Rome and Rieti. This area takes its name from the Sabini people who settled there in antiquity, famous in history for the story of the rape of the Sabine women, an episode that played a significant role in the foundation and expansion of the Eternal City.

Locations in Domina 2

New intrigues, power struggles and twists involve the members of the Julio-Claudian dynasty during the reign of Caesar Augustus, the first emperor of Rome, in Season 2 of Domina, a Sky Original period drama.

The 8 episodes of the second season explore one of the most interesting periods of Roman history from the women’s perspective, following the extraordinary rise to power of Livia Drusilla, third wife of Caesar Augustus, played by Kasia Smutniak.

In Season 1, Livia Drusilla returns to Rome after ten years of exile, determined to regain everything that was stolen from her. The second season of Domina picks up the story with the heir of the important Claudii family now at the head of a fragmented empire and a dysfunctional dynasty: Livia fights to protect her marriage to Gaius, determined to ensure that one of her sons inherit the throne while new and old rivals aspire to the same position, in a world where it is impossible to know who to trust.

The story resumes in 19 b.C., when Gaius and Livia return to Rome after three years in the Eastern Provinces. Following Marcello's death in Season 1, Livia has worked to repair the marriage which is crucial to her power and ambition, but faces old and new challenges. Gaius and Livia are shocked to find the city in revolt and Livia's children in open rebellion. Over the course of 11 turbulent years, sex, murder, betrayal and power struggles unfold, culminating in the murder of Drusus and Livia's discovery of the terrible truth behind it. Livia will be forced to fight harder than ever to fulfil the sacred oath made to her father, to restore democracy and the Republic.

Kasia Smutniak leads a large international cast which includes: Matthew McNulty as Gaius, Emperor Augustus, Livia's husband and accomplice, who now, more than ever, is aware of the importance of the presence and support of this incredible woman; Claire Forlani is Ottavia, Gaius' sister, seeking revenge for the death of her son Marcellus, for which she blames Livia; Christine Bottomley is Scribonia, Gaius’s second wife, mother of Julia and Livia’s mortal enemy. Ben Batt is Agrippa, Gaius' childhood friend and husband to his only daughter Julia, a general and later consul. Their relationship will be shaken by unexpected events that require Agrippa to make difficult decisions.

As with the first season, filming took place mainly at Cinecittà Studios.