Is Rome, the eternal city, stuck in the past?
ROME, Aug 11 (Reuters) – On the banks of the Tiber river by two baroque churches and Emperor Augustus’ 2,000-year-old Mausoleum sits a marble, glass and steel structure — the first modern building to rise in Rome’s historic centre. But unlike the ancient landmarks around it, the Ara Pacis Museum, designed by U.S. architect Richard Meier and unveiled two years ago, may not last — at least in its present form. Rome’s new right-wing mayor, Gianni Alemanno, promised upon taking office in April to tear it down, saying it lacked “compatibility” with the heart of the ancient city. He has since partly backtracked, saying removing the structure is not an immediate priority. But the Culture Ministry has weighed into the debate, with Undersecretary Francesco Maria Giro proposing to take down one of the building’s adjacent walls, and lower another, so that the churches behind it are not obscured. “It’s ugly and excessive … a slap in the face to Roman citizens. If it was up to me, I’d demolish
