Archeologia romana. Politiche, istituzioni e attività (1802-1940)

The settlement of archaeological sites and areas in the territory of Rome and their relation with the urban context, which have been developing and consolidating for centuries, have been the focus of the urban planning and design activities mainly in the last centuries. This activity had its rapid increase with the numerous excavations carried out under the Pope’s influence and during the French domination in the 18th and in particular in the 19th and 20th centuries. This settlement had a diversified impact on pre-existing constructions. In some cases the “memory” of the Roman track was preserved as a “sign” that could be understood in the centuries. In other cases, the relation between the older constructions and later transformations concerned a larger and more complex area in the city, characterised by the “massive” presence of Roman structures with a partial material conservation of pre-existing constructions in squares, road tracks and so on. Different cases of urban transformation are those settlements or creations of archaeological sites often following massive “clearing” actions for reasons related to the “embellishment” of the city or for ideological or representative reasons.