 A modern villa was built on the site after the Rubino family purchased the land from Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies in 1868.Cicero's supposed tomb is a 24-meter (79 feet) tall tower on an "opus quadratum" base on the ancient Via Appia outside of Formia.Some suggest that it is not in fact Cicero's tomb, but a monument built on the spot where Cicero was intercepted and assassinated while trying to reach the sea.