Ara Pacis Museum

Why visit the Ara Pacis Museum?

The Ara Pacis Augustae is the single finest surviving piece of Augustan-era sculpture — a marble altar consecrated in 9 BC to celebrate Emperor Augustus's claim to have ended a century of civil war and inaugurated the Pax Romana. Its reliefs preserve the most detailed surviving portraits of the imperial family, the priests and the senators of the early Empire. Today it stands inside Richard Meier's striking 2006 pavilion on the Tiber — Rome's first major modernist building in the historic centre since WWII — and beside the Mausoleum of Augustus, whose public access remains limited and booking-dependent following its restoration. Together, when the Mausoleum can be booked, they form Rome's most coherent Augustan dynastic visit.

Masterpiece reliefs

Rome's finest Augustan sculpture

Modern architecture

Richard Meier's 2006 pavilion

Augustus's legacy

Symbol of the Pax Romana

Intimate experience

Rarely crowded, deeply rewarding

Quick facts

A brief history

On 4 July 13 BC, the Roman Senate voted to build an altar to Pax Augusta — the goddess Peace, in her Augustan form — to honour Emperor Augustus's safe return from three years of campaigns in Hispania and Gaul. The altar was consecrated four years later, on 30 January 9 BC (Livia's birthday), in the northern Campus Martius, alongside Augustus's massive solar clock (Horologium Augusti) and the Mausoleum of Augustus. Together they formed a coherent Augustan dynastic monument complex on the Tiber.

The altar was a sacrificial site for over four centuries. Annual sacrifices of an unblemished animal were performed by the magistrates, vestal virgins and priests of Rome. After the fall of the Western Empire, the Campus Martius was repeatedly flooded by the Tiber and gradually buried under metres of silt. The Ara Pacis disappeared from view, and its location was forgotten.

The first fragments were rediscovered in 1568 during construction of Palazzo Peretti on Via in Lucina. Further excavations in 1859 and 1903 recovered additional panels, scattered between collections across Europe. The complete excavation took place in 1937–1938 under Mussolini, using innovative ground-freezing techniques to safely tunnel beneath Palazzo Almagià-Fiano. The altar was reassembled for the bimillenary of Augustus's birth on 23 September 1938 in a new Fascist-era pavilion beside the Mausoleum of Augustus.

The 1938 pavilion proved disastrous for conservation — air pollution from heavy traffic, vibration and fluctuating humidity began to damage the marble. After international calls for a new home, American architect Richard Meier was commissioned, and his white travertine and glass pavilion opened in 2006. Sharply criticised by traditionalists at the time as Rome's first major modernist building in the historic centre since WWII, it has since been widely accepted — climate control, controlled lighting, a reflecting pool and a deliberate architectural dialogue with the ancient altar.

In 2021, after a long restoration, the adjacent Mausoleum of Augustus reopened, but public access has remained limited and programme-dependent, typically requiring advance booking. Today, in 2026, the Augustan complex on the Tiber — Mausoleum, Ara Pacis Museum and Piazza Augusto Imperatore — remains one of Rome's most rewarding dynastic-historical visits, though the Mausoleum requires checking current availability before visiting.

Reading the reliefs — who's who

The exterior walls of the altar's outer enclosure carry two distinct programmes: the processional reliefs on the long north and south walls, and the mythological panels on the short east and west walls. Together they form the most carefully orchestrated piece of Augustan visual propaganda to survive from antiquity.

The south wall procession is the more important of the two. It shows the imperial family itself: Augustus at the front, veiled as Pontifex Maximus (his head covered with a fold of his toga); behind him senior priests and lictors with fasces; then Marcus Agrippa, Augustus's general, son-in-law and chosen heir, also veiled and carrying a scroll; behind Agrippa stands his small son Gaius Caesar tugging at his toga; then Livia, Augustus's wife, in elegant robes; then Tiberius (her son, the future emperor) and other members of the imperial dynasty.

The north wall procession is more damaged but shows senators, magistrates and the four major priestly colleges. The west wall mythological panels show Aeneas sacrificing at Lavinium (Augustus's claimed Trojan ancestor, founder of the Julian line) and the very damaged Romulus and Remus with the she-wolf. The east wall panels show Roma seated on a pile of conquered weapons (military strength as the foundation of peace) and the famous panel of Tellus / Pax-Italia — a maternal goddess with twin children, ox, sheep, fruit and water at her feet, surrounded by the breeze of land and sea — symbolising the abundance of the Pax Romana.

The lower zone of all four walls is covered in extraordinary acanthus-leaf scrollwork — a botanical fantasy of intertwined vines, with swans (birds of Apollo, Augustus's patron god), small lizards, frogs, snails and pinecones hidden among the leaves. The carving quality is the highest surviving from any Roman public monument.

The Meier pavilion — Rome's first modernist building

American architect Richard Meier was commissioned in 1996 to design a new home for the Ara Pacis after the 1938 Fascist-era pavilion proved disastrous for conservation. His white travertine and glass pavilion opened in 2006, after a decade of design controversy that briefly became a national political issue — Vittorio Sgarbi famously denounced it from the floor of the Italian parliament, and the design was modified several times before construction.

The result is Rome's first major modernist building in the historic centre since WWII, and one of the most discussed contemporary buildings in Italy. The exterior combines white Roman travertine (the same stone used for the Colosseum and the Theatre of Marcellus) with large glass walls that flood the altar with controlled natural light. A long reflecting pool on the Lungotevere side mirrors the pavilion. The interior is fully climate-controlled, removing the pollution and humidity damage of the previous building.

Meier's stated intention was a deliberate dialogue between ancient and contemporary: Roman travertine in modernist geometry, ancient marble in a modern shell. Twenty years on, the pavilion has aged well and is now widely regarded as one of the most successful contemporary museum buildings in Italy — protecting the altar while creating a building that does not pretend to be anything other than 21st century.

The lower level houses a fragment gallery, explanatory videos, temporary exhibition space and a bookshop. The outdoor terrace facing the Mausoleum of Augustus is freely accessible without a museum ticket — and is also where the bronze panels of Augustus's Res Gestae Divi Augusti are mounted on the museum's outer wall.

Augustus & the Pax Romana

The political message of the Ara Pacis is brilliantly orchestrated. After a century of civil wars (133 BC – 31 BC) that killed hundreds of thousands of Romans and destroyed the Republic, Augustus claimed to have brought a new golden age of peace. The altar was the visual centrepiece of this claim.

Every element reinforces the message. The mythological panels link Augustus to the deepest origins of Rome: Aeneas (the Trojan ancestor of Augustus's claimed Julian line), Romulus and Remus (the founders of the city), Roma (the city personified, seated victoriously on captured weapons), and Tellus / Pax-Italia (the abundance of the Italian land, with twin children, livestock and fruit — peace yields prosperity).

The processional reliefs show Augustus's family as the new dynastic centre of the Roman state — a radical political claim in a city that had recently overthrown its kings. By depicting himself, Livia, Agrippa, Tiberius, Gaius and Lucius together as a public ceremonial unit, Augustus was visually establishing the principle of hereditary succession that would govern Rome for the next four centuries.

The acanthus scrollwork below shows the natural abundance that peace brings — fruit, animals, birds, water — implicitly contrasting with the violence and famine of the civil war years. The whole altar is propaganda of the highest order — but propaganda whose visual quality is so extraordinary that it remains, two millennia later, one of the masterpieces of European art.

Suggested walking route

A 90-minute self-guided route from the Ara Pacis Museum through the Augustan complex on the Tiber, north into Piazza del Popolo, up onto the Pincio panoramic terrace, down through the Spanish Steps, and finishing (optionally) at the Trevi Fountain. Total walking distance: approximately 2.5 km, all flat except a 5-minute climb up the Pincio.

Ara Pacis Museum (full visit)

Start at the Meier pavilion. Walk the full perimeter of the altar — exterior reliefs first (the imperial procession on north and south, mythological panels on east and west), then step inside the enclosure to see the inner altar with bucrania and garlands. Use the audio guide.

Res Gestae bronze inscription (outdoor)

Walk around to the museum's exterior wall facing the Mausoleum. Bronze panels reproduce Augustus's first-person Res Gestae — his own account of his 41-year reign. Free to read in the open air.

Mausoleum of Augustus (across the piazza)

Two minutes across Piazza Augusto Imperatore: Augustus's massive circular tomb, restored and access-limited since 2021 — advance booking required and subject to programme availability. Check the current schedule before planning this stop. One of Rome's largest and most under-visited monuments.

Piazza del Popolo & the Egyptian obelisk

Eight minutes north up Via di Ripetta to Piazza del Popolo — Rome's most theatrical north entrance, with twin baroque churches, an Egyptian obelisk brought from Heliopolis by Augustus himself in 10 BC, and Bernini's Porta del Popolo gate.

Pincio panoramic terrace

Climb the ramp on the eastern side of Piazza del Popolo up to the Pincio terrace. One of Rome's best free panoramic views — over the historic centre, with the Ara Pacis pavilion visible below and St Peter's dome on the western horizon.

Via del Corso & Spanish Steps

Walk south down Via del Corso (Rome's main shopping street since the 17th century) to the Spanish Steps and Trinità dei Monti at the top — one of the most famous staircases in the world. Plenty of cafés and shops along the way.

Trevi Fountain (optional ending)

Ten minutes east of the Spanish Steps: the Trevi Fountain. Best seen at the end of the route as a baroque finale to a classical-Augustan walk. Always crowded — visit before 09:00 or after 22:00 for the best photographs.

Ara Pacis vs other Augustan / Imperial sites

Verdict: For the finest surviving Augustan-era sculpture, the Ara Pacis is unmatched. If you can secure a booking, pair it with the adjacent Mausoleum of Augustus (advance reservation required — check current availability) for the full dynastic complex on the Tiber. Walk on to the Forum of Augustus on the Imperial Fora for the political programme of his reign, and reserve the Pantheon for the Hadrianic engineering masterpiece that completes the Augustan-Imperial circuit.

Best time to visit

Time of day

09:30–11:00 — opening hours, fewest visitors

The pavilion is at its quietest in the first 90 minutes after opening. Soft north-east light through the glass walls.

17:00–19:00 — golden hour

The single best moment of the day. Low western sun pours through the glass and lights the white marble of the altar gold. Most tour groups have already left.

After 18:30 — last entry, near-empty pavilion

Last entry is 18:30. If you arrive at the very end you often have the altar almost to yourself for the final 60 minutes.

Avoid 13:00–15:00 in peak season

Cruise-ship tour groups concentrate in this window. Visit before or after for a calmer experience.

Best day & season

Tuesday–Thursday for fewest visitors

Weekday mornings (Tue–Thu) are the calmest windows. Sundays and Mondays after Vatican Museums closures see slightly more traffic.

Spring & autumn (peak)

April–May and September–October give the best Roman weather, soft light through the pavilion glass, and comfortable temperatures for the walking route afterwards.

January 30 — consecration anniversary

The anniversary of the altar's consecration in 9 BC. Special events and (occasionally) projected polychrome restorations of the original red, blue and gold paint scheme on the reliefs.

Closed days

Open daily 09:30–19:30 (last admission one hour before closing), with reduced hours 09:30–14:00 on 24 and 31 December and 11:00–20:00 on 1 January 2026. Closed 1 May and 25 December.

Getting there

Metro Line A — Spagna or Flaminio

Both stations are about a 10-minute walk. From Spagna walk west via Via dei Condotti and Via Tomacelli; from Flaminio walk south through Piazza del Popolo and down Via di Ripetta.

Bus to Ara Pacis / Augusto Imperatore

Lines 70, 81, 87, 117, 224, 492 and 628 all stop within two minutes of the museum. From Termini: 10–15 minutes. From Trastevere: 15 minutes.

From Piazza del Popolo on foot

10 minutes south down Via di Ripetta — Rome's most pleasant flat walk, lined with antique shops and wine bars.

From the Pantheon on foot

10 minutes north via Via in Lucina (where the original 1568 fragments were found beneath Palazzo Peretti) and Via di Campo Marzio.

Address

Lungotevere in Augusta, 00186 Rome. Entrance from the Lungotevere on the Tiber-facing side of the pavilion.

Common mistakes to avoid

Skipping the audio guide

The reliefs are extraordinary but absolutely opaque without context — without the audio guide (€5) or a printed gallery sheet, most visitors cannot identify any of the figures, miss the political message, and leave underwhelmed. The audio guide turns a 20-minute confused walkthrough into a 75-minute revelation.

Assuming the Mausoleum is freely walk-in

Many visitors assume that because the Mausoleum of Augustus was restored and reopened in 2021, it can simply be walked into like the Ara Pacis. In fact public access is limited and programme-dependent, and normally requires advance booking — check current availability before planning your visit. It stands two minutes from the Ara Pacis Museum, across Piazza Augusto Imperatore.

Missing the Res Gestae bronze inscription on the outer wall

Built into the museum's exterior wall (facing the Mausoleum) are bronze panels reproducing Augustus's Res Gestae Divi Augusti — his own first-person account of his 41-year reign, originally inscribed on bronze tablets at his Mausoleum. It's the closest you'll ever get to Augustus's own voice. And it's free to read from the piazza.

Not looking inside the altar enclosure

The famous reliefs are on the exterior walls of the altar's outer enclosure, and most visitors only walk around the outside. You can also walk inside the enclosure to see the sacrificial altar itself, with bucrania (ox skulls), garlands and the tiny inner relief of the original procession of priests. Don't miss it.

Dismissing the Meier pavilion as 'ugly'

Some visitors come predisposed to dislike the modern building. Give it 15 minutes — the climate-controlled glass walls, the way the natural light falls on the marble at different times of day, the reflecting pool outside, and the deliberate dialogue with the ancient altar are all part of a thoughtful design that has aged well into the 2020s.

Trying to combine with the Vatican on the same morning

The Vatican is a 25-minute walk west and a major half-day commitment. Don't try to see both in a morning — you will rush the Ara Pacis. Better pairings: the Mausoleum of Augustus (adjacent, booking required), Piazza del Popolo and the Pincio terrace (10 minutes north), Spanish Steps (10 minutes east), or Via del Corso shopping.

Insider tips from locals

Visit at sunset for the light show

From about 17:00 in winter and 19:00 in summer, the low western sun pours through the glass walls and lights the white marble of the altar gold. The polished travertine floor reflects the altar back. It's the single best moment of the day to visit, and most tour groups have already left.

Check ticket options for the Mausoleum and Ara Pacis

Ticket structures and pricing change with the exhibition programme, so check the official Museo dell'Ara Pacis ticket page for current options before you go. The Mausoleum of Augustus requires advance booking and timed entry — reserve that slot first, then plan your Ara Pacis visit around it.

Look for the painted-altar exhibitions

Periodically (usually around the consecration anniversary on 30 January, and during winter), the museum projects the original red, blue and gold paint scheme directly onto the altar's reliefs using digital projection. The transformation is astonishing — check the museum's events calendar before booking.

Use the outer terrace

Even without a museum ticket, the outdoor travertine terrace on the Lungotevere side (with the reflecting pool) offers excellent views of the building, the Mausoleum and the Tiber. A great 10-minute stop on a riverside walk.

Read the Res Gestae inscription

Walk to the museum's eastern exterior wall (facing the Mausoleum). Bronze panels reproduce Augustus's first-person Res Gestae Divi Augusti — his own account of his 41-year reign. Free to read in the open air. The most extraordinary autobiographical document of the ancient world.

Combine with the Pincio for the panorama

Ten minutes' walk north of the Ara Pacis, up Via del Babuino into Piazza del Popolo and up the ramp to the Pincio terrace, gives you one of Rome's best free panoramic views over the historic centre — including a fine high-angle look at the Ara Pacis pavilion below.

Practical visitor tips

Best time of day

Weekday mornings (09:30–11:00) for fewest visitors. Late afternoon to closing (17:00–19:00 in summer) for golden hour through the glass walls — the best light of the day on the altar.

Photography tips

Tripods are not allowed but the natural light through the glass rarely requires them. Sunset creates dramatic silhouettes of the altar against the glowing west wall. Phones perform very well in the bright pavilion.

Audio guide is essential

The €5 audio guide is the single most important purchase you can make. It identifies every figure in the procession, explains the mythological panels, and decodes the political message. Without it, the reliefs are beautiful but unreadable.

Combine your visit

The Mausoleum of Augustus is 2 minutes away, but access requires advance booking — check current availability. Continue to Piazza del Popolo (10 min), the Spanish Steps (10 min), Via del Corso shopping, or the Pincio panoramic terrace.

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