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Cicero's Tomb in Formia: the possibile mausoleum of ancient Rome’s greatest orator
On the Via Appia, on the outskirts of Formia, a tower about 24m tall rises on a small hill in the Acervara area. This is the so-called Tomb of Cicero, an Augustan-era mausoleum attributed by tradition to Marcus Tullius Cicero — although no inscription confirms it.
Why it is thought to be Cicero's
The clues are there: in his letters, Cicero often speaks of the Formianum, the villa where he loved to spend his time. And it was right in Formia, on 7 December 43 BC, that the assassins sent by Mark Antony found and killed him. Such an imposing mausoleum, so close to his villa, dating to a compatible period, and not far from the tomb of his daughter Tulliola. Coincidences, perhaps. But suggestive nevertheless.
What you can see
The structure has a square base topped by a circular tambour. Inside there are two burial chambers, one above the other. The lower one, the actual funerary room, preserves six niches in the brick-lined walls. An enclosure in opus reticulatum marks out the funerary garden, with the main entrance opening directly onto the Appian Way
Practical information
Along the slope, at the edges of the panoramic hillside path in the Acervara area, close to the Via Appia, the remains of Cicero's Tomb are still preserved. The site is currently run by the Sinus Formianus association.
