Torra di Campomoru, Genoese watchtower in Belvédère-Campomoro, Corsica, France
The Torra di Campomoru is a stone defensive tower positioned on the Punta di Campomoro headland at roughly 78 meters above sea level. The structure has thick circular walls with narrow openings designed for watching the approach to the Golfe de Valinco below.
The tower was built between 1585 and 1586 by Giorgio Canton following designs by Carlo Spinosa. It formed part of a coastal defense network that the Genoese established to counter pirate raids throughout the region.
The tower's name comes from Campomoro, the village below it in Belvédère-Campomoro. A permanent exhibition inside covers the history of Corsica's Genoese towers and the Barbary raids that prompted them. The star-shaped wall built by Carlo Spinosa let villagers take shelter within the enclosure.
The tower is open from April to October and managed by the Elisa syndicate. Visitors can walk inside the star-shaped rampart that surrounds it, and the tower interior holds a permanent exhibition on Corsican Genoese towers and the Barbary raids. The headland sits at the southern end of the Golfe de Valinco.
The tower is wider at its base than it is tall: its diameter of 15 metres makes it the most massive of Corsica's Genoese towers. Architects planned a second storey, which was never built, leaving the squat profile visible today. A star-shaped rampart, added by Carlo Spinosa, enclosed the villagers during raids.
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