Cape Nao Tower, Fortified tower and archaeological museum in Crotone, Italy.

The Cape Nao Tower is a 16th-century watchtower on the Capo Colonna promontory, built with a square plan and a squat, massive body clad in the sandstone of the headland. Its raised entrance is reached by three flights of exterior stairs leading to a retractable drawbridge worked by a pulley from inside. Gun ports, now plain windows, and machicolations at the top complete the defence. It houses an antiquarium of underwater finds.

Charles V promoted the fortification of the Calabrian coasts to strengthen the defences of the Kingdom of Naples. The viceroy Pedro de Toledo planned three towers, but only this one was built, begun by Fabrizio Pignatelli in 1550 and finished around 1568. It resisted Saracen raids, passed to the French customs system in 1806, and after Italian unification housed a Guardia di Finanza command.

The museum inside displays objects from daily life in ancient Greek settlements and artifacts used by seafarers of the region. You can see how people lived and worked along these coasts thousands of years ago.

The tower sits right on the coast and is easily reachable from Crotone's town center, mostly walkable from nearby areas. Wear comfortable shoes since climbing the stairs and exploring the interior involves some physical effort.

The tower's only entrance was originally reached by three flights of stairs leading to a retractable drawbridge worked by a pulley from inside; a ground-floor door was added only during the recent restoration. Its loopholes, now plain windows, and the machicolations at the top completed the defence.