The Ara As it Was
Augmented Reality of the Ara Pacis
History and technology meet at the Ara Pacis Augustae in Rome to create a fully immersive and multi-sensorial experience. 3D colourful animations will bring the monument back to life thanks to the use of computer graphics and augmented reality. Immerse yourself in a multi-medial experience to relieve the origins of Rome and of Emperor Augustu’s family.

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About the “Ara as it Was” Event
The “Ara as it Was” known in Italian as “L’Ara Com’Era” represents the first systematic augmented and virtual reality project devised specifically to increase appreciation for Rome’s cultural heritage. Use of particular AR visors (Samsung GearVR) and cameras provide visitors with a fully immersive and multi-sensorial view of the altar commissioned by Augustus to celebrate the peace he had wrought on one of the most extensive empires that has ever existed.
The route, divided into 9 points of interest (POI), begins with a 360° (POI 1 and 2) view of a scene that takes visitors back in time, allowing them to move around the Campus Martius as it was during the days of Augustus, to soar over the Ara Pacis and take part in the sacrificial scene performed by real actors.
In the POIs that follow, the characters, divinities, plants and animals
represented on the altar’s marble surfaces come to life in magnificent 3D. imagined and elaborated in specialist studios to recapture the colours that once enriched the original reliefs.
How to Reach
Ara Pacis Museum
How to Visit
From 21 April to 30 October:
Friday and Saturday from 8.00 pm to midnight last entry at 11.00 pm
Closed: 1 January; 1 May; 24, 25, 31 December
Tickets: Full price 12 euro – Reduced 10 euro
Booking is advisable on +39 060608
Entrance will be organised in small groups subject to quotas
Info 060608 (every day 9am – 9pm)
Note: Gear VR headsets may not be used by children under 13, who must be supervised by adults.