antiguidade bem escondida

A housewarming for the Ara Pacis, or Altar of Peace, of Augustus.

Richard Meier's New Home for the Ara Pacis, a Roman Treasure, Opens
ROME, April 22 — Since this city was not built in a day, it is perhaps unsurprising that a plan to house Caesar Augustus's Ara Pacis, or altar of peace, in a new museum has taken 10 years to be realized. Romans, after all, feel possessive about their city. And, in this case, the idea of inviting Richard Meier to design a dazzling white modernist building for Rome's historic center was the stuff of heated debate — and multiple delays.
Rome's mayor, Walter Veltroni, went ahead with its scheduled inauguration on Friday because April 21 was, at least in theory, the city's 2,759th birthday. But even now, work is continuing on the $24 million glass and travertine marble structure, which stands between a busy highway overlooking the River Tiber and the Mausoleum of Augustus. A 300-seat auditorium and a lower-level exhibition space may not be finished before the fall.
Still, the museum's spacious, naturally lighted main hall was ready, and this weekend, for the first time in seven years, the 2,000-year-old altar and the remarkable friezes on its surrounding walls was available for public viewing.
Few people ever visited the Ara Pacis: in its previous crumbling home, it had become a forgotten treasure. Now, however, it is very much in the spotlight, and Romans are finally able to judge the new building for themselves. To judge by first impressions, opinions are divided. There is widespread satisfaction with the presentation of the Ara Pacis. But some visitors were unhappy that the museum's entrance interrupts the view of the façades of two adjacent churches, San Rocco and San Girolamo dei Croati.
mais in NY Times