Mausoleum of Rome's First Emperor Restored and Ready to Reopen

The mausoleum of the first emperor Augustus has been restored and will reopen early next year. (Reuters)
The mausoleum of the first emperor Augustus has been restored and will reopen early next year. (Reuters)
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Mausoleum of Rome's First Emperor Restored and Ready to Reopen

The mausoleum of the first emperor Augustus has been restored and will reopen early next year. (Reuters)
The mausoleum of the first emperor Augustus has been restored and will reopen early next year. (Reuters)

After decades of neglect, one of ancient Rome’s most important monuments, the mausoleum of the first emperor Augustus, has been restored and will reopen early next year, city officials announced on Friday.

The mausoleum is the largest circular tomb in the world and was constructed in 28 BC near the banks of the river Tiber to house the remains of Augustus and his heirs, including the emperors Tiberius, Caligula and Claudius.

“This is an historic moment,” Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi told reporters, saying the site would open to tourists on March 1, with entrance free for all until April 21, the day the city marks its founding in 753 BC.

“To reopen a monument like this is a signal of hope as we look with good faith towards the future despite the uncertainties of the pandemic. We need to work for the future and maintain our traditions,” she said.

Once one of the most magnificent buildings in the city, it underwent many changes after the fall of the Roman empire, at one point becoming a fortified castle, then a hanging garden and subsequently an amphitheater for bullfighting and firework displays.

At the start of the last century it was transformed into a huge theater for concerts and operas before the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini ordered the dismantling of the auditorium as he sought to restore the landmarks of ancient Rome.

The site fell into disrepair over the years, trees grew from the walls and rubbish filled the pathways.

All that has been cleared and the structure has been made safe thanks to a 10-million-euro ($12.25 million) restoration, partly financed by phone company TIM.

Augustus helped transform Rome into a world-class city with his infrastructure projects. On his deathbed, he reportedly said: “Marmoream relinquo, quam latericiam accepi” (I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble).

The original marble cladding that adorned his tomb was plundered centuries ago and a statue that once towered over the building has long vanished, but tourists will get the chance to glimpse its past glories thanks to virtual reality tours.



Japan Sees New Record High Temperature of 41.2C 

A passerby walks past a cooling mist station during a heatwave in Tokyo, Japan, 24 July 2025. (EPA) 
A passerby walks past a cooling mist station during a heatwave in Tokyo, Japan, 24 July 2025. (EPA) 
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Japan Sees New Record High Temperature of 41.2C 

A passerby walks past a cooling mist station during a heatwave in Tokyo, Japan, 24 July 2025. (EPA) 
A passerby walks past a cooling mist station during a heatwave in Tokyo, Japan, 24 July 2025. (EPA) 

Japan sweltered in a new record temperature of 41.2C on Wednesday, with the mercury also hitting 40C in the ancient capital of Kyoto for the first time since observations began.

Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as climate change creates ever more erratic weather patterns, and Japan is no exception.

Wednesday's new record in the western region of Hyogo surpassed the previous high of 41.1C seen in Hamamatsu in 2020 and Kumagaya in 2018, the weather office said.

The record comes on a day Japan was also on high alert for tsunamis after a massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake in Far East Russia.

In tourist hotspot Kyoto the mercury hit 40C, the first time any of its observation points -- the oldest opened in 1880, the newest in 2002 -- had seen such a high, authorities said.

Japan's summer last year was the joint hottest on record, equaling the level seen in 2023, followed by the warmest autumn since records began 126 years ago.

The Japanese government has issued heatstroke warnings to a large swathe of the archipelago in recent days as temperatures topped 35C at hundreds of observation points.

On Tuesday, the temperature hit 35C or higher at 322 of 914 observation points nationwide, reportedly the highest number since comparative data became available in 2010.

New highs were set in 38 locations, including Gujo in Gifu Prefecture in central Japan, which reached 39.8C, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

The heatwave is forecast to continue, the JMA said, warning of a "significant" rise in temperature in northern and eastern regions.

"Please take care of your health including (avoiding) heatstroke," it said.

- Heatstroke -

A total of 10,804 people in Japan were sent to hospital due to heatstroke last week, the highest weekly figure this year.

In total 16 people died, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.

The number is the highest this year, surpassing the previous record of 10,053 people hospitalized in the week from June 30 to July 6.

Every summer, Japanese officials urge the public to seek shelter in air-conditioned rooms to avoid heatstroke.

The elderly in Japan -- which has the world's second-oldest population after Monaco -- are particularly at risk.

Western Europe saw its hottest June on record last month, as extreme temperatures blasted the region in punishing back-to-back heatwaves, according to the EU climate monitor Copernicus.

Dangerous temperatures stretched into July, with separate research estimating that climate change made the heat up to 4C hotter, pushing the thermometer into deadly territory for thousands of vulnerable people and greatly worsening the projected death toll.

Millions were exposed to high heat stress as daily average temperatures in western Europe climbed to levels rarely seen before and never so early in the summer.

Several countries recorded surface temperatures above 40C, with heat of up to 46C in Spain and Portugal, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said.