Bastiglia, Watchtower in Salerno, Italy

Bastiglia is a circular stone watchtower built around 1075, standing on a hill higher than Arechi Castle, behind it. Its single interior room sits five meters above ground and was reached by removable stairs. The tower overlooks the Gulf of Salerno.

Prince Gisulf II built the tower in 1075 as a defensive structure against the threatening siege by Robert Guiscard. It dates from the Lombard period and was part of the regional medieval fortification system.

The name Bastiglia stems from a 19th-century misunderstanding: the tower was believed to house prisons, which in fact stood inside Arechi Castle since the Lombard centuries. The false association with a prison gave the building the name by which it is known today.

The tower was restored in 2001 and remains accessible to visitors who can examine it from both inside and outside. Being located at the top of the hill, it is best approached from the nearby Arechi Castle area.

The name "Bastiglia" stems from a 19th-century misunderstanding: the tower was believed to be a prison, though the actual prisons had stood inside Arechi Castle since the Lombard centuries. The false association stuck and gave the building its current name.