Museo dell'Ara Pacis (Ara Pacis Museum), Rome

Inaugurated in 2006, the Ara Pacis Museum houses one of the most significant monuments of Ancient Roman art and architecture-the Ara Pacis Augustae. Designed by Richard Meier, the museum’s modern structure has sparked controversy due to its stark contrast with Rome’s historic surroundings.

The altar, originally built between 13 and 9 BCE, was commissioned by the Roman Senate to honor Emperor Augustus upon his victorious return from Hispania and Gaul. Though used for sacrifices, the Ara Pacis symbolized Augustus’s reign of peace and prosperity following years of civil war.

Originally located in the Campus Martius, the altar was carefully positioned so that on Augustus's birthday, its shadow aligned with his nearby obelisk, a remarkable example of Roman architectural symbolism. The monument consists of a marble enclosure with intricate relief sculptures depicting key aspects of Augustan ideology. These include a panel of the goddess Roma sitting on a pile of weapons, processional friezes showing the imperial family and officials, and floral friezes symbolizing abundance and renewal. Mythological themes also appear, such as the Tellus/Terra Mater panel, the legendary she-wolf with Romulus and Remus, and Aeneas making a sacrifice, linking Augustus to Rome’s divine origins.

Over centuries, the Tiber River’s flooding buried the altar, leaving it lost to history until fragments began surfacing during the Renaissance. A full excavation was only undertaken in 1937–1938, under Mussolini’s regime, when the dictator, seeing it as a symbol of Rome’s imperial past, ordered its reconstruction near the Mausoleum of Augustus. Today, the Ara Pacis Museum not only preserves this masterpiece of Roman artistry but also serves as a space for exhibitions, offering visitors a unique glimpse into the grandeur of Augustan Rome.