Spire of Marcellus
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The Spire of Marcellus is a Roman funerary monument.
It was built between the 1st century BC. and the 1st century AD along the ancient via Pompeia which connected Syracuse to Messina. According to tradition, the monument was erected by the consul Marcellus after the victory against the Syracusans between 214 and 212 BC, but recent studies have instead ascertained the real function of the building: funerary.
The monument has been known for a long time and ascertained in the chronicles of the past. In medieval times it was called Aguglia d'Agosto because it fell within the territory of Augusta.
The monument has the shape of a parallelepiped with a square base. Today it reaches a height of about 4 meters but from historical chronicles it is known that in the past it must have been much taller and have a pointed shape.
Today the monument is part of the Saline di Priolo oriented nature reserve.
