Myths about Rome - La Torre delle Milizie - Nero's "Observation Point"

On the hill right behind the Forum of Nerva, a tall tower made of red bricks stands out against the background of the sky. What looks like a quite anonymous building, is the stage for one of the biggest myths about Rome. 

The Tower, built back in 13th Century for the noble Conti family, and one of the few remaning buildings of the Middle Age in Rome, used to be a taller, three-tiered building, but the upper part was knocked down in 14th century owing to the effects of a strong earthquake that hit the City.  The name of "Torre delle Milizie" comes from an alleged presence of a military garrison's barracks, but until now, I could not find any historical evidence about this fact. 

Roman people built a myth about this tower, telling that that was the point from which the Emperor Nero watched Rome birning during the infamous fire that destroyed the city back in 64 A.D. Nothing could be farther from reality, because of 2 main facts:


- Emperor Nero was not in Rome at the outbreak of the fire, but at his seaside villa in Antium (today Anzio), and:
- the Tower was built in Middle Age, so it was not there at the moment of fire, 


but this is just one of the many stories without historical foundations who were made up in centuries of hatred against this unconventional and innovative Roman Emperor. 
Currently integrated in the archaeological complex of Trajan's Markets, the tower can be accessed entering from the same site's entrance, on Via Quattro Novembre.