Italy: Ancient Rome light shows by night at the Forum of Augustus

Italy: The history and magic of ancient Rome comes to life thanks to the Viaggi nell’Antica Roma project, a multimedia display on show beside the Forum of Augustus, each evening from 8 July until 8 November.

Created by Piero Angela and Paco Lanciano, the multimedia show uses light, images, film and animation to conjure up portrayals of life in ancient Rome, screened on the ruins from a stand of seats on Via Alessandrina, the pedestrian street just off Via dei Fori Imperiali.

Taking as its base the existing marble columns and ruins, the 40-minute show uses cutting-edge technology to reconstruct the forum as it was in imperial times.

This year there are measures in place to contain the spread of covid-19, including reduced seating and disposable earphones, with everyone required to have their temperature taken on arrival.

In addition to providing a spectacle with visual and audio special effects, the shows are backed up with historically accurate commentary, available in eight languages: Italian, English, French, Russian, Spanish, German, Chinese and Japanese.