This content was automatically translated. View the original text.
The Epitaffio Tower in Monte San Biagio: an ancient border point on the Appian Way
The Torre Epitaffio is located at km 109.400 of the Via Appian, in the territory of Monte San Biagio. The ancient Appian Way passed through here, descending from Piazza Palatino in Terracina, the tower marked the border between the Papal States and the Kingdom of Naples. The complex consists of a tower, a limestone monument and an entrance gate: three elements designed to check those passing through.
A monument built on ancient foundations
The base is built with large archaic blocks — possibly a pagan altar. The upper structure features four male-faced caryatids, with a central inscription, and mouldings and smaller blocks added in 1568. The tower, having a truncated pyramidal base, stands next to the monument, and was commissioned by Pope Sixtus V as a border outpost of the Papal States.
Stones and boundary markers
The tower's masonry consists of small- and medium-sized local stones, with squared corner blocks originally covered in stucco — the remains are still visible. Until 12 January 1927, the Epitaffio also marked the political border between the Lazio and Campania regions. The area between the Portella tower and the Epitaffio — roughly 1,000 hectares — was neutral ground, beyond the watch of both papal and Bourbon authorities. Brigands took full advantage of this fact. Stone boundary markers, still visible, marked the border, adorned with the lily of Naples on one side, and crossed keys facing Rome on the other. Beneath one of these, a large bronze disc bearing the symbols of the two states was found.
