Torre delle Milizie
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The Torre delle Milizie ("Tower of the Milices") is a tower in Rome, annexed to the Trajan's Market in the Imperial fora.
One of the main mediaeval monuments of the city, the tower is on a square plan, its base sides measure 10.5 x 9.5 m, and it currently stands at almost 50 meters. An earthquake in 1348 caused both the crumbling of an upper floor and the slightly tilting of the structure.
In origin it belonged to a series of fortified edifices grouped around a court, in which the tower was located. According to a tradition, in origin the tower was a Roman construction from which Emperor Nero watched the fire of Rome, and this gained it the popular nickname of "Nero's Tower". The construction can be probably traced back to the time of Pope Innocent III (1198-1216). At the end of the 13th century the tower was a possession of the powerful Annibaldi family, who were followed by the Prefetti di Vico and by the Caetani, Pope Boniface VIII's family. Under the Caetani the fortified quarter was enlarged and strengthened, probably rivalling with Castel Sant'Angelo as Rome's main fortress. When Henry VII of Luxembourg came to the city for his incoronation as Holy Roman Emperor (May-June 1312), he chose the Torre delle Milizie as the base for his Guelph supporters.
Raphael, in his role as curator of the antiquities of the city, cited the tower as an example of edifice built re-using antique parts. In 1332 the tower was ceded to the Conti, who held it until 1619, when it was acquired by the nuns of the neighbouring convent (later demolished) of Santa Caterina a Magnanapoli.
[edit] See also
- Torre dei Conti
- Towers of Rome
