Ara Pacis

The Ara Pacis is one of the most significant monuments of ancient Rome.
The Ara Pacis Augustae (Altar of the Peace of Augustus) is an ancient marble altar built in Rome in 9 BC by the Senate to celebrate the peace in the Mediterranean region established by the emperor after his victorious campaigns in Gaul and Spain.

The monument was located on the ancient Via Flaminia, now Via del Corso. Its proximity to the Tiber exposed it to floods, which over the years caused extensive damage to the structure, which was completely buried and forgotten.
In the Middle Ages, the Ara Pacis, like many other Roman monuments, was used as a sort of "quarry" to recover material used to construct other buildings. The reconstruction of the monument was decided to celebrate the two-thousandth anniversary of the birth of Augustus, which fell in 1938.

The restored monument was placed inside a glass pavilion designed by the architect Morpurgo and located on Via di Ripetta, where it remains today.
The entire structure is decorated with reliefs inside and out, including scenes of Aeneas sacrificing to the Penates, the Peace-Tellus, and the goddess Roma. The most important and best-preserved scene is on the southern side, featuring figures from the imperial family.

In 2006, the case was replaced with a new roof designed by Richard Meier. The modern building, now a museum, was designed to protect the monument from the dangers of humidity. and expanded on the lower floor, where it hosts temporary exhibitions.