Torre dell'Ovo, Renaissance tower in Maruggio, Italy

Torre dell'Ovo is a truncated-pyramidal tower with a square base measuring 10.60 by 10.80 metres, built in 1473 and standing on the 15-metre cliff called Monte dell'Ovo on the border between Maruggio and Torricella. Three later structures lean against its original masonry, and it linked west with Torre Canneto in Marina di Lizzano and east with Torre Moline in Campomarino di Maruggio.

This tower was built in 1473 as part of the coastal defense network against raids from the sea. It worked in communication with nearby defensive towers to protect the shoreline.

The name Torre Ovo comes from the 15-metre cliff called Monte dell'Ovo on which it stands. The bay below was the site of a tonnara, a tuna trap fishery, abandoned about thirty years ago; old anchors used as ballast by the boats that set the nets still lie on the seabed. Small wartime turrets remain on the beach.

The structure is currently closed to the public due to structural concerns that limit access. Visitors can still view it from outside and appreciate its position on the cliff overlooking the sea.

Beneath the water below the tower lies the Prateria Pietrificata, a field of upright monolithic blocks formed when organisms compacted sandy sediment inside their burrows, which resisted erosion while the surrounding rock wore away. Divers also find old anchors that weighted the boats of the tuna nets.