The paper deals with the changes the historic center of Rome underwent throughout centuries, comparing the actions in different historical periods: Roman age, Renaissance, modern and contemporary age. In the life of the city, following the spontaneous and natural line of consuming its planning (Caniggia), a wide space was given to the demolition interventions, aimed mostly at residential areas. Different purposes were at the origin of these urban planning actions, but the diversity is not due to chronological factors. Demolition interventions are repeated over time: public buildings or complexes of various destinations (linked to the use of leisure time, to specific political power, etc.) are inserted into the already multilayered urban fabric; roads are widened (liked to rehabilitation of neighborhoods, easier communications); new roads are opened and new squares created (linked to better road organization, new urban perspectives, concretization of ideologies). The paper discusses the issue diachronically, giving various examples related to Rome and hinting at the same problem present in many Italian cities.