oa Van Obelisk naar Mausoleum

This article describes a tour along noteworthy Augustean sites and monuments on the campus Martius in Rome. It starts at Piazza Monte Citorio where now the obelisk stands which was once part of Augustus’ Horologium. From there the walk goes 200 meters northwards to the original site of the obelisk/Horologium which is marked by an inscription, and then onward to the original site of the Ara Pacis. From there the tour continues to the Piazza Augusto Imperatore with Augustus’ Mausoleum and the museum of the Ara Pacis housing the restored altar. The piazza as it appears nowadays was designed and constructed under Mussolini as part of the fascist ideology of Romanità as well as Mussolini’s association with the successful regime of Augustus. The contemporary architecture with its reliefs and inscriptions encircling the piazza express this fascist ideology in straightforward manner.