Rome's Ancient Legacy Faces Modern Challenges

Rome's identity remains inseparable from its imperial past, with the phrase caput mundi still resonating throughout the city's cultural imagination. This Latin expression meaning "capital of the world" was coined during Roman times when the city served as the center of the most powerful Western empire.

In 2026, these words continue to hover over the local consciousness, literally wrapping the city's scaffolding-covered monuments. The phrase was prominently displayed on coverings that shielded hundreds of monuments undergoing restoration.

The contrast between past glory and present challenges creates a unique urban dynamic. While cities like New York and Hong Kong perpetually gaze toward the future, Rome finds itself living off the rents of an extraordinary past while grappling with the burden of having neglected long-term planning.

This tension manifests in the city's physical landscape, where ancient wonders stand alongside modern infrastructure gaps that residents encounter daily.

European Union funds have enabled Rome to undertake massive restoration efforts across its historic center. The Next Generation program allocated 500 million euros specifically for monument preservation and cleaning.

This funding arrived at a critical time, coinciding with the city's jubilee celebration. The restoration work has fundamentally changed the appearance of Rome's most treasured landmarks by removing layers of black grime accumulated from decades of vehicle emissions.

Rome possesses the largest concentration of private vehicles among all European cities, creating unique environmental challenges for heritage preservation. The soot and pollution generated by this massive vehicle fleet had coated monuments in a dark layer for years.

The restoration project represents one of the most significant preservation efforts in recent Roman history, allowing visitors and residents to see these structures in their original splendor for the first time in generations.

Despite the monument restoration success, Roman residents continue to advocate for improved daily infrastructure. Community complaints focus on fundamental urban services that affect quality of life.

Residents have specifically called for:

• More bus shelters (marquesinas) at transit stops
• Better maintained and wider sidewalks
• Improved street lighting throughout the city
• Modernized subway stations

The city's reliance on private transportation creates a cycle where vehicle pollution damages historic structures while simultaneously discouraging investment in public transit alternatives. This situation leaves residents caught between preserving the past and building functional modern infrastructure.

The demand for these improvements highlights a persistent gap between Rome's status as a world-class tourist destination and the everyday reality of those who live and work in the city year-round.

The exhibition "Roma en el Mundo" (Rome in the World) provides critical context for understanding Rome's position among global cities. This showcase places Rome's virtues and defects in perspective by comparing them with 17 other major metropolitan areas.

Participating cities include global powerhouses like Paris and Tokyo, offering a comprehensive photographic survey of contemporary urban life. The exhibition examines how different cities balance historical preservation with modern development needs.

By confronting Rome with other world capitals, the presentation reveals both unique challenges and shared urban problems. This comparative approach helps contextualize whether Rome's struggles with infrastructure and modernization are exceptional or part of broader global patterns affecting historic cities.

The exhibition ultimately serves as a mirror, reflecting Rome's position not just as a relic of the past, but as a living city that must compete and evolve in an increasingly interconnected world.