Tomba dei Plauzi

Near Tivoli, the Tomba dei Plauzi is an ancient Roman mausoleum from the early first century AD.

Its original structure was a tall cylinder.

A dome covered the cylinder, which rested on a square base clad in travertine.

Travertine remains the monument’s main architectural material.

Its design recalls the tomb of Cecilia Metella on the Appian Way.

The mausoleum belonged to the influential Plauzi family.

Plautia Urgulanilla connected that family to Emperor Claudius.

Nearby marble slabs preserve inscriptions about the family’s lineage and achievements.

One inscription commemorates Marcus Plautius Silvanus, who served as consul alongside Augustus.

The inscriptions connect the building to Roman political life.

During the fifteenth century, the mausoleum became a fortified tower protecting Ponte Lucano.

The conversion hollowed out the interior.

A battlemented top gave the Roman monument a distinctly medieval appearance.

Its position beside the Aniene River and Ponte Lucano also made the tower a defensive point.

Restoration preserves the structure’s Roman and medieval layers.