Situated at the centre of the Italian capital, on the banks of the Tiber, the ancient mausoleum was built by Augustus in 28 B.C. and housed the ashes of the first Roman emperor, as well as his successors Nero and Tiberius.
The project, which will culminate in a grand reopening in April 2019, will include a multimedia show and the restoration of the 13,000-square-metre monument.
The tomb, which once towered 120 feet in the air and was topped by a 15-foot bronze statue of Augustus, will be restored to its former glory with the help of Italian telecommunications giant TIM, which will donate 6 million euro to the cause.
“Images of Rome, from ancient times to the modern era, will be projected onto the interior of the mausoleum’s walls,” Telecom Italia president Giuseppe Recchi, said in an interview with Corriere della Sera.
“Tourists will be immersed in the most sensational story of humanity, from imperial Rome to the beginnings of Christianity and the Baroque period.”
The mausoleum was raided in 410 by Visigoths and left in shambles, before it was converted into a fortress in the 18th century and subsequently bombed.
The site then was turned into an elegant concert hall in the 20th century, but fascist dictator Benito Mussolini stripped it of its modernity in honour of the emperor he glorified and wished to emulate.
In more recent times, the historical monument has fallen into a tragic state of neglect, becoming invaded by weeds and piles of rubbish and going ignored by tourists and locals alike.
A restoration project was set to be completed in August 2014 in time for the 2000th anniversary of the emperor’s death, but works never began.
