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The Mausoleum of the Gordians, in Villa Gordiani park along Via Prenestina, is back at the center of the debate after images of the new glass wall began circulating in mid-October 2026. It is not a surprise out of nowhere, though: the glass structure of about 240 square meters and the staircase were publicly announced in September 2025, when the works restarted. It is worth putting the facts back in order, because a lot of them got lost in the online comments.
What the Mausoleum of the Gordians Is
It is a circular brick funerary building on two levels, inside the archaeological park of Villa Gordiani. According to the Turismo Roma page, it dates to the Diocletian era, meaning the fourth century AD, or to a later period: the stamps on the bricks and comparison with similar complexes point to this, such as the Mausoleum of Sant’Elena on Via Casilina and that of Santa Costanza on Via Nomentana.
The name is a tradition. The imperial Gordian family belongs to the third century, and the archaeologist of the Capitoline Superintendency, speaking when the works restarted, explained that the Gordians who lived before the building was constructed must be ruled out.
The facade, facing Via Prenestina, once had a portico and a staircase. Both collapsed in the mid-1700s. For over two and a half centuries, then, the entrance side of the monument has stayed open.
A Long Construction Project, with Documented Obstacles
The administrative path is traced in the records of Roma Capitale. The tender for “Restoration of Villa dei Gordiani and the Mausoleum” was issued on December 31, 2018, the contract was awarded on March 10, 2020, and it was signed on December 14, 2020. A management decision from December 2022 granted a 90-day extension, moving the contractual deadline to April 2, 2023.
The works had started in March 2021 and stopped several times. According to RomaToday, the first stop was due to the need for additional resources, given the condition of the site. The second was due to an unauthorized occupation of the work area, reported by the contractor, with the fences damaged. The outreach unit for homeless people (Nucleo assistenza emarginati) stepped in, and the Capitoline Superintendent wrote to the contractor asking for cleaning and custody of the area. To give a sense of scale: in 2020 the total amount already allocated for the restoration of the Mausoleum was 1,350,000 euros, later increased in a budget adjustment.
The site restarted in early September 2025, together with a plan by Municipio V for the park: benches, trees, play areas, lighting.
What Was Announced, and When
At the September 2025 restart, an estimated duration of about six months, a glass wall of 240 square meters, and a staircase were explicitly announced. The Municipio V councilor also stated that he had opened talks with the Capitoline Superintendency and the ministerial one. The Roma Aeterna post that sparked the debate also recalls that completing the facade was already part of the announced project.
Why the Glass Is Not Only a Matter of Taste
For sixty years the reference point for restoration has been Article 12 of the Venice Charter (1964): the parts that replace missing ones must blend harmoniously into the whole, but be distinguishable from the originals, so that restoration does not falsify the monument. A glass wall does not pretend to be ancient and does not rebuild the collapsed portico: from this point of view it follows the principle. Radio Globo notes that the glass makes it possible to tell the architectural structure apart from the outside environment while keeping the visual link with the park.
There is also a practical problem. A building open on one side and poorly guarded is exposed, and in the case of the Gordiani, unauthorized occupations have already stopped the works. Does closing that side also answer this? The public documents consulted do not state it as a goal of the project: it is a plausible reading, not a fact.
Readers’ Criticisms, Without Dismissing Them
On the Roma Aeterna post on Facebook (578 reactions and 236 comments at the time of reading) and on Instagram, opinion is split. Many find the glass wall ugly, intrusive, or out of context, and criticisms of taste are legitimate. Others defend the choice: they prefer a usable monument to one left in ruin, they appreciate that the new is recognizable against the ancient, and they point out that this side was used for overnight camping (a claim from the comments, but the issue of unauthorized occupations is documented).
One technical question keeps coming up: has the monument been consolidated? Italia Nostra Roma, in a statement before the 2025 restart, acknowledged restoration and consolidation work under way on the Mausoleum, then asked for a comprehensive intervention on the entire park. The contract itself speaks of “restoration of the Mausoleum”, not just a closure.
What Remains to Be Clarified
- The official end date of the works: as of October 20, 2026, no completion announcement has been found. To be verified.
- The public project documents: materials, anchoring to the masonry, relationship with the original parts, possible reversibility. ER did not find them online.
- The intended use of the space enclosed by the glass wall and the visiting arrangements.
These are questions for the Capitoline Superintendency and Municipio V, and ER will update this page when official answers come out. One thing can be said already today: a project started in 2021, stopped by lack of funds and by occupations, and restarted with a publicly announced design, is a traceable and verifiable path. And that is the condition for judging it with the documents in hand.
How to See It
The remains of the Mausoleum and the nearby early Christian basilica are visible from the outside, inside the archaeological park along Via Prenestina. Before you go, check the Capitoline Superintendency website for any openings or restrictions tied to the works.
See also the listing for the Mausoleum of the Gordians with its position on the map and the guide to all the mausoleums of Rome.
Sources
- Roma Capitale, Capitoline Superintendency: decision RI/769/2022, extension of deadlines
- Radio Roma, September 8, 2025: restoration works on the mausoleum restart
- RomaToday: a project full of obstacles at the Mausoleum of Villa Gordiani
- RomaToday, September 23, 2025: redevelopment plan for Villa Gordiani
- RomaToday: funding and tender for the restoration of the Mausoleum (2020)
- Turismo Roma: Mausoleum of the Gordians and Early Christian Basilica
- Radio Globo, October 15, 2026: the new glass wall changes the face of the monument
- Italia Nostra Roma: archaeological park of Villa dei Gordiani
- Venice Charter, 1964 (Italian text, Art. 12)
- Roma Aeterna, Facebook post and Instagram post