The Roman ruins outside of Porto Vergogna serve as a symbol for time’s erosion of legacy. Once proud structures heralding the glory and prosperity of the Roman Empire, the ruins are “rounded by weather and rain” (102) until they resemble “old teeth” (102). Their decay triggers a “dull sadness” (102) in Pasquale, who consider them to be “all that was left of an empire” (102). He knows that if an empire that dominated the Western world for centuries can fade away and leave a crumbling, disintegrating legacy, there is little hope for him or anyone else to make a significant, permanent mark. Like Dee, he must face his own mortality and come to grips with the passing of time. Beautiful Ruins is concerned with the onslaught of time. Decaying relics like the Roman ruins remind people that time is always passing and breaking down artifacts. One’s legacy is doomed to disappear one day, so life must be appreciated now.

The portraits in the pillbox bunker are a reoccurring motif throughout the novel, and they—especially the portraits of the girl—are meant to reflect Dee’s character. Dee takes special interest in them and notes that the two paintings of the girl are not entirely identical.