Located deep in the heart of the Imperium Romanum, the Castra Italia (English: Italian Fortress) is the military headquarters of the Legion. The facility was carved into a mountain north of the Italian city of Mediolanum. With its barracks situated 1.8 km from the mountain surface, the base can continue to operate under the heaviest bombardment. Caesar Raphael referred to the complex after its original completion in 1981 as the "most secure of Rome's holdings since the spade of Romulus first touched earth." In some ways, his words underscore the level of security employed in maintaining this military base.