The Via del Mare represented the epitome of the ideas and problems connected on the one hand with the 'isolation' of the Capitoline and on the other with the need to connect Piazza Venezia to the Bocca della Verità. The new road, through Lungotevere Aventino and Via Marmorata, would ultimately lead to the road to Ostia and thus to the sea after which it was named. So, in contrast with previous plans, the planners decided to widen Via Tor de' Specchi. In reality, in spite of Muñoz's conviction that it was appropriate to demolish what he called 'sudice catapecchie' (dirty hovels) and the 'labirinto di vicoli fetidi ed oscuri' (maze of fetid and dark alleys), a significant portion of the medieval city was erased. Its churches, hastily torn down, were the evocative landmarks and cultural reference foci for a social context mainly composed by small craftspeople.
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