Torre dei Capocci (Engl.: "The Tower of the Capocci") is a tower at

San Martino ai Monti San Martino ai Monti, officially known as Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti ("Saints Sylvester & Martin in the Mountains"), is a minor basilica in Rome, Italy, in the Rione Monti neighbourhood. It is located near the edge of the Parco del Colle ...

square in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Italy.

Description

Torre dei Capocci, along with Torre dei Graziani, constitutes a kind of monumental entrance to top of the hill

Esquilino The Esquiline Hill (; la, Collis Esquilinus; it, Esquilino ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. Its southernmost cusp is the ''Oppius'' ( Oppian Hill). Etymology The origin of the name ''Esquiline'' is still under much debate. One view is ...

History

Built by the family of Arcioni in the 12th century, it afterwards went to the

Capocci The Capocci were an Italian baronial family perhaps originally from Viterbo, who played a significant part in the affairs of the city, especially between the 12th and 14th centuries. History The first news of the family, which perhaps initially t ...

, a noble family from

Viterbo Viterbo (; Viterbese: ; lat-med, Viterbium) is a city and ''comune'' in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in its early history ...

. These erected around the tower a number of houses, which no longer exist, but which made the building a sort of citadel. The tower is high with seven floors, a square base, and windows framed in travertine. The terrace, bordered by a brick parapet, is edged by crenellated

battlements A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...

on each side, and emerges at the output hopper of the staircase.

References

External links

Roma Sparita – Torre dei Capocci
Towers completed in the 13th century

Rome R. I Monti {{Italy-geo-stub