Napoleon and the Myth of Rome Exhibition at Trajan's Markets

The exhibition 'Napoleone e il mito di Roma' (Napoleon and the Myth of Rome) opens at the Trajan's Markets in Rome, curated by Claudio Parisi Presicce, Massimiliano Munzi, Simone Pastor, and Nicoletta Bernacchio, marking the bicentennial of Napoleon's death. The show explores how Napoleon strategically used Roman iconography—from the eagle standard to the laurel crown and the Column of Place Vendôme modeled on Trajan's Column—to legitimize his rule from the Revolution through the Empire. Highlights include the Capitoline Brutus bronze portrait, fragments of Abel Gance's film 'Napoléon', neoclassical busts, and a curious Bonaparte riding a dromedary. A key section focuses on Napoleon's commission to architect Giuseppe Valadier to design an urban solution for the Trajan's Markets area, which would have created an ogival square but was halted by the discovery of the Basilica Ulpia ruins. The exhibition also notes Napoleon's push to transform ruins into a park, contrasting with Rome's tradition of planting obelisks over trees. The show runs at the Mercati di Traiano in Rome.