within the precincts of the Convent of S. Catherina di Sienna,
supposed to have been built upon a cella formerly occupied by Trajan's
soldiers. This tower is called by the Roman _valets de place_ "Nero's
Tower," from his having sat there and fiddled whilst Rome was burning.
Now, as this tower was built in 1210 by Pandolfo della Suburra, the
senator, it could not have been the tower Nero fiddled on. Besides,
Suetonius says, "This fire he [Nero] beheld from a tower in the house
of Mæcenas," which was on the Esquiline, where remains have been
recently found.
The VIA PANISPERNA, to the left, descends into the valley between the
Quirinal and Viminal hills. In the valley _to the left_ of the street
is