The museum was the first building to go up in the centro storico since World War II; Meier was given the commission by fans on the city council, not by way of a public contest; and he came up with a design that Romans either love or hate. Shiny white with acres of glass, it's definitely more of a statement than the little Fascist-era box that previously contained the beautiful Augustan altar with its delicately carved friezes. Meier's museum gives this exquisite work the breathing space it lacked before: Finally, visitors can stand back and admire the lower frieze of swirling acanthus leaves and, above, the delicately carved, wind-blown drapery in the togas and cloaks of Augustus and his family as they join a procession to mark the inauguration of the Ara Pacis itself.