Parata tower, Genoese tower in Ajaccio, France

Parata Tower is a Genoese fortification built on a rocky promontory near Ajaccio. The circular structure contains multiple levels with chambers for the garrison and raised positions to watch over the sea.

The tower was built in 1550–1551 by Giacomo Lombardo, one of the coastal defences the Republic of Genoa erected between 1530 and 1620 against Barbary pirates. Corsican sources instead name Domenico d'Ornano and Girolamo da Levante and date it to 1608. Genoese documents call it the Sanguinera di Terra, distinguishing it from the Sanguinera di Mare on the Grande Sanguinaire island. Its ownership passed to the city of Ajaccio by an ordinance of King Louis-Philippe dated 8 March 1838.

In Genoese records the tower was called Sanguinera di Terra, distinguishing it from the Sanguinera di Mare on the Îles Sanguinaires. The name Parata refers to the Pointe de la Parata where it stands. The tower is a ruined Genoese coastal watchtower, not a fortification.

From Ajaccio, take the D111 towards the Îles Sanguinaires for 14 km to the Pointe de la Parata, then follow the small winding road with its bends and dark stone steps up to the tower in about ten minutes. The tower stands at 55 m on the rocky promontory; the climb is on foot and the ground uneven.

The tower's Genoese name, Sanguinera di Terra, paired it with the Sanguinera di Mare on the Grande Sanguinaire island, whose tower was demolished in the 19th century for a lighthouse. A smaller survivor there, the torretta piccola, is now called Torra di Castelluchju.