Mausoleum of Augustus
Augustus began his own tomb in 28 BC — a 90-meter drum of earth and travertine built to hold a dynasty before that dynasty existed.
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One circular mound took in nearly every early ruler and their kin — Augustus, Livia, Agrippa, Tiberius, Germanicus, down to Nerva. By the 12th century it became a Colonna family fortress, then a Renaissance garden, before reopening to the public in 2021 after 14 years shut.
What to look for
- The concentric rings of earth and brick that made up the 90 m core, originally faced with travertine.
- Two pink granite obelisks once flanked the entrance; one now stands at Piazza dell'Esquilino, the other at the Quirinal fountain.
- Piazza Augusto Imperatore, the square around the tomb reshaped in Mussolini's 1930s reordering of Rome, with the Ara Pacis museum and the church of San Carlo al Corso beside it.
Access is on-and-off: it reopened in March 2021 but has been closed since June 2022 for works due to finish by the end of 2026 — check status first, or view it from Piazza Augusto Imperatore.
Mausoleum of Augustus is one of 40 sights worth the detour in Rome, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Rome pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Rome
- Vatican CityThe world's smallest sovereign state fits in 44 hectares — you cross its border by stepping over a white line.
- ColosseumAround 50,000 Romans packed this stone oval to watch spectacles staged over a two-level warren of cages beneath the arena floor.
- St. Peter's BasilicaThe world's largest church, built directly over the grave believed to hold St. Peter's bones.
- Sistine ChapelMichelangelo painted the ceiling standing up, not on his back — and cardinals still elect the pope in this room.
- PantheonA 1,900-year-old concrete dome with a hole punched in the top — when it rains in Rome, it rains inside too.
- Stadio OlimpicoOne 70,634-seat bowl, two cross-town tenants: AS Roma and SS Lazio both play here.