Ara Pacis Museum

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"A modern museum pavilion designed by Richard Meier that houses the ancient Altar of Peace (built for Emperor Augustus) and features rotating modern-art exhibitions on the lower level. Annie Ojile recalls the controversy when it was built—"there was this big scandal because it was the first new piece of architecture to be built in the historic center since Mussolini’s era"—and adds, "Now I live five minutes from it and they have really stellar photography shows and exhibitions and I absolutely love it. I go to every show." The site combines ancient monument display with contemporary cultural programming." - Laura Itzkowitz Laura Itzkowitz Laura Itzkowitz is a writer and editor based in Rome. She has been contributing to Travel + Leisure since 2014, when she started as a fact checker before becoming a contributing digital editor in 2015. She has also held positions as a contributing editor at The Points Guy and the NYC cities editor at DuJour Magazine. In addition to Travel + Leisure, her writing has appeared in Architectural Digest, Surface Magazine, Brooklyn Magazine, T Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, GQ, Departures, Afar, Fodor's, Town & Country, Condé Nast Traveler, Robb Report, Hemispheres, and others. When she's not jetsetting around Italy and beyond, she can be found in Rome, enjoying some cacio e pepe or relaxing at home with her husband and two dogs. Originally from the Boston area, Laura moved to New York City in 2011 to pursue a master's degree in creative writing and translation at Columbia University. She also holds a bachelor's degree in French from Smith College. * 10+ years of experience writing and editing * Co-wrote "New York: Hidden Bars & Restaurants," an award-winning guide to New York City's speakeasy scene published by Jonglez Editions in 2015 * Contributed to "Fodor's Brooklyn," published by Penguin Random House in 2015, which won silver in the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism competition * Contributed an essay to "Epic Hikes of Europe," published by Lonely Planet in 2021 * Updated the 2022 edition of "Fodor's Essential Italy" Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines

"Ancient Propaganda at its Apex The Altar of Peace, also known by its ancient name, Ara Pacis, is a 1st century BC monument embellished with marble reliefs. The structure's carved stone surfaces depict religious processions and allegories, all of which glorify the family and virtues of the Emperor Augustus. Inaugurated in 9BC, the altar was a destination for ritual and sacrifice for four centuries, after which time it was neglected and ultimately buried by deposit left by Tiber floods. Its rediscovery took centuries and culminated in a Fascist-era excavation, followed by the repositioning of the monument in its current location beside the Tiber River. In 2006, American architect Richard Meier completed the Museo dell'Ara Pacis, the glass and limestone building that houses the Altar, as well as numerous exhibition spaces."

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"At no other site in Rome does modernity intersect the ancient world like at this museum dedicated to Augustus Caesar's Altar of the Peace. Just north of Piazza Navona, famed architect Richard Meier has created a sun flooded white space to house the 9th century b.c. stone carving to commemorate the emperor's return from Spain." - Laura Itzkowitz

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"The Ara Pacis is an ornate Augustan marble altar celebrating the Pax Augusta with four walls carved in scenes of Roman mythology — look out for the striking depiction of a pig slaughter on the west wall — and it now sits inside a stark white building designed in 2006 by Richard Meier, a modern insertion that has been politically controversial." - Matthew Kepnes