City authorities claim trees in Piazza Augusto Imperatore posed a risk to public safety.
Most of the iconic cypress trees that circled Rome’s Mausoleum of Augustus have been chopped down, sparking an outcry from local residents and visitors to the ancient site.
The felling of the trees had reportedly been announced in early June, coinciding with the opening of a new Piazza Augusto Imperatore, however the news seemed to go largely unnoticed until the whir of chainsaws on Wednesday.
At least 15 trees have been felled on the side of the new-look piazza and in front of the luxury Bulgari hotel, with the last trees still standing (as of early on Thursday) facing the Ara Pacis Museum.
Mausoleum of Augustus, 2 October 2025. Photo Wanted in Rome.
The decision to cut down the landmark trees came after experts found them to be diseased and at risk of falling, the capitoline superintendency said, noting that the felling was for public safety and infrastructural reasons.
The superintendency added that new Totem Cypresses – a slow growing, shorter variety of cypress – would be planted in place of the felled trees “in a few months, when ongoing work allows.”
Cypress tree stumps at Mausoleum of Augustus. Photo Wanted in Rome.
The new pedestrian area in the shadow of the tomb of Rome’s first emperor was opened to the public in June after five years of construction work, in a major project that dates back two decades.
The final phase of works is currently under way, involving the creation of a circular walkway overlooking the mausoleum which is set to open as a museum by the end of 2026.
Photos Wanted in Rome, 2 October 2025.
