The mausoleum of Cecilia Metella on the Appia Antica: a structural contribution to its restoration and adaptation for use

摘要

The Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella on the Appia Antica is one of Rome's most famous monuments. The great tomb was incorporated into the Caetani Castle in the 14th century. Since that period the massive cylindrical construction has been part of a single monumental site including the castle, whose impressive walls have come down to us virtually intact. As part of the "Project of Large-scale Works for the Great Jubilee Year 2000", the Soprintendenza Archeologica of Rome drew up a plan to safeguard and adapt the monument of the Caetani Castle and Tomb of Cecilia Metella for use as a museum. This report illustrates the general criteria followed in the structural intervention and the complex problems that will have to be faced in the future. In particular these concern the type of roofing to put over the main hall of the castle, access to and use of the mausoleum, and how the latter, one of the most interesting viewing points for the "panorama of the Appia Antica", should be covered over.