Torra d'Omigna, Coastal defense tower in Cargèse, France

Torra d'Omigna is a ruined round Genoese tower on the Omigna headland in Cargèse, built between 1605 and 1606 under Giacomo della Piana. It stands about 12 metres high on two levels with a terrace, its walls of rough grey and tan stone with a broken, roofless top and small defensive openings.

Built between 1605 and 1606 under the direction of Giacomo della Piana, the tower was one of a series of coastal defences the Republic of Genoa raised between 1530 and 1620 against Barbary pirates. It belonged to the so-called land of the Four Towers and was built by the people of Paomia, Revinda and Salona, who had taken refuge at Renno. In 1729 the Greek inhabitants of Paomia held out here during a siege before reaching Ajaccio.

The tower was also called torre di Paomia, after the village whose people built it. On 27 April 1731 it sheltered 127 Greeks from Paomia besieged by 2,500 Corsicans; after three days they broke out and reached Ajaccio. The 1729 siege is also recorded, when boats from Ajaccio took the women and children away by sea.

The tower is easily visible from the sea and reachable by a path from the nearby beach, especially during drier months. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes and bring water, as the site sits exposed and offers no shade.

Sentries at different towers communicated through a sophisticated system of smoke signals and fires to warn each other of approaching danger. This visual code allowed rapid messages to travel across long distances.