Coastal towers in Salento

Salento is dotted with watchtowers which were constructed to sight seaborne invaders, including those coming from Turkey. ^[1] Many of the towers were built in the 16th century. ^[2] The towers come in a variety of designs, including a truncated cone, a truncated pyramid, a fortified masserie, a tower masserie, and a closed-courtyard Masseria. ^[3] After their initial function as lookout posts for sighting seaborne threats became redundant, many of the towers were either "abandoned or used as a place to store agricultural tools". ^[4] Subsidence has affected the tower structures. ^[5]

This is the list in a clockwise direction from the province of Brindisi and culminating in the Province of Taranto.

Province of Brindisi

Image	Tower Name	City	Base Section	Build Year
	Torre Egnazia	Fasano
	Torre Canne	Fasano
	Torre San Leonardo	village Pilone, Ostuni
	Torre Villanova	Ostuni
	Torre Pozzelle	Ostuni
	Torre Santa Sabina	Carovigno	four-pointed star
	Torre Guaceto	Carovigno	square
	Torre Testa	Brindisi
	Torre Penna	Brindisi
	Torre Cavallo	Brindisi
	Torre Mattarelle	Brindisi
	Torre San Gennaro	Torchiarolo

Province of Lecce

Image	Tower Name	City	Base Section	Build Year
	Torre Specchiolla	Lecce, fraz. Casalabate 40°30′22″N18°06′56″E / 40.506228°N 18.115559°E / 40.506228; 18.115559	square	16th century
	Torre Rinalda	Lecce 40°28′55″N18°09′30″E / 40.4819°N 18.1583°E / 40.4819; 18.1583	square	16th century
	Torre Chianca	Leccev 40°27′34″N18°12′51″E / 40.4594°N 18.2142°E / 40.4594; 18.2142	square	16th century
	Torre Veneri	Lecce 40°25′07″N18°16′09″E / 40.4186°N 18.2692°E / 40.4186; 18.2692		16th century
	Torre San Cataldo	Lecce
	Torre Specchia Ruggeri	Vernole
	Torre San Foca	Melendugno 40°18′08″N18°24′18″E / 40.302129°N 18.405066°E / 40.302129; 18.405066	square	1568
	Torre Roca Vecchia	Melendugno 40°17′18″N18°25′40″E / 40.28843°N 18.427806°E / 40.28843; 18.427806	square	1568
	Torre dell'Orso	Melendugno 40°30′22″N18°06′56″E / 40.506228°N 18.115559°E / 40.506228; 18.115559	square	1568
	Torre Sant'Andrea	Melendugno
	Torre Fiumicelli	Otranto 40°13′30″N18°27′52″E / 40.224903°N 18.464351°E / 40.224903; 18.464351
	Torre Santo Stefano	Otranto 40°10′59″N18°28′23″E / 40.1831°N 18.4731°E / 40.1831; 18.4731	square	1567
	Torre del Serpe	Otranto 40°08′31″N18°30′19″E / 40.141876°N 18.50525°E / 40.141876; 18.50525
	Torre dell'Orte or dell'Orto	Otranto		1565
	Torre Palascia	Otranto 40°06′27″N18°31′12″E / 40.107422°N 18.519878°E / 40.107422; 18.519878
	Torre Sant'Emiliano	Otranto 40°05′27″N18°29′47″E / 40.0906972°N 18.4963361°E / 40.0906972; 18.4963361	circle	16th century
	Torre Badisco	Otranto
	Torre Minervino	Santa Cesarea Terme 40°03′58″N18°28′48″E / 40.066083°N 18.479975°E / 40.066083; 18.479975	circle
	Torre Specchia di Guardia	Santa Cesarea Terme 40°02′41″N18°28′14″E / 40.0447°N 18.4706°E / 40.0447; 18.4706
	Torre Santa Cesarea	Santa Cesarea Terme 40°02′41″N18°28′14″E / 40.0447°N 18.4706°E / 40.0447; 18.4706	circle
	Torre Miggiano	Santa Cesarea Terme 40°01′50″N18°27′00″E / 40.03044°N 18.45007°E / 40.03044; 18.45007	circle	16th century
	Torre Diso	Castro 39°59′50″N18°25′04″E / 39.9971561°N 18.4176866°E / 39.9971561; 18.4176866		16th century
	Torre Capo Lupo	Diso	circle	15th century
	Torre Andrano or Porto di Ripa	Andrano	circle	16th century
	Torre del Sasso	Tricase
	Torre di Porto Tricase	Tricase
	Torre Palane or Plane	Tricase	square
	Torre Nasparo or Naspre or de Lissano	Tiggiano		1565
	Torre Specchia Grande	Corsano	circle
	Torre del Ricco	Corsano 39°52′03″N18°23′38″E / 39.86745°N 18.393878°E / 39.86745; 18.393878
	Torre di Porto Novaglie	Gagliano del Capo
	Torre Montelungo	Gagliano del Capo
	Torre Santa Maria di Leuca	Gagliano del Capo
	Torre dell'Omomorto or Uomini Morti	Castrignano del Capo		1555
	Torre Marchiello	Castrignano del Capo 39°47′56″N18°19′55″E / 39.7989°N 18.3319°E / 39.7989; 18.3319		16th century
	Torre San Gregorio	Patu
	Torre Vado	Morciano di Leuca	circle	16th century
	Torre Pali	Salve	circle	16th century
	Torre Fiumicelli or Torre Mozza	Ugento	circle	16th century
	Torre San Giovanni	Ugento 39°53′10″N18°06′50″E / 39.88623°N 18.11378°E / 39.88623; 18.11378	octagon	1563
	Torre Sinforo or Sinfono	Alliste		16th century
	Torre Suda	Racale		16th century
	Torre del Pizzo	Gallipoli		16th century
	Torre San Giovanni la Pedata	Gallipoli
	Torre Sabea	Gallipoli		16th century
	Torre Alto Lido	Gallipoli		1565
	Torre del Fiume di Galatena (also called delle quattro colonne)	Nardò	square	17th century
	Torre Santa Caterina	Nardò		16th century
	Torre Santa Maria dell'Alto	Nardò		1569
	Torre Uluzzo or Crustano	Nardò		16th century
	Torre dell'Inserraglio or Critò	Nardò		1568
	Torre Sant'Isidoro	Nardò	square	1565
	Torre Squillace	Nardò	square	16th century
	Torre Cesarea	Porto Cesareo 40°15′25″N17°53′31″E / 40.256944°N 17.891944°E / 40.256944; 17.891944	square	1569
	Torre Chianca	Porto Cesareo 40°16′18″N17°52′14″E / 40.271667°N 17.870556°E / 40.271667; 17.870556	square	16th century
	Torre Lapillo	Porto Cesareo 40°16′51″N17°50′25″E / 40.2808°N 17.8403°E / 40.2808; 17.8403	square	1550
	Torre Castiglione	Porto Cesareo 40°17′13″N17°49′10″E / 40.286944°N 17.819444°E / 40.286944; 17.819444

Province of Taranto

Image	Tower Name	City	Base Section	Build Year
	Torre Colimena	Manduria	square
	Torre Saline	Manduria
	Torre San Pietro in Bevagna	Manduria	four-pointed star
	Torre Borraco	Manduria
	Torre Moline	Maruggio
	Torre Ovo	Torricella
	Torre Canneto	Lizzano
	Torre Zozzoli or Sgarrata	administrative island of Taranto, between Pulsano and Lizzano
	Torre Rossa or Sasso	Taranto (destroyed)
	Torre Castelluccia	Pulsano
	Torre Saturo	Leporano
	Torre Lama	Taranto
	Torre Capo San Vito	Taranto 40°24′45″N17°12′11″E / 40.4125°N 17.2031°E / 40.4125; 17.2031
	Torre Rondinella	Taranto
	Torre Tara	Taranto
	Torre Saline or Lo Lato	Castellaneta
	Torre Mattoni	Ginosa

References

1. Gabellone, F., Ferrari, I., Giuri, F., & Giuri, P. (2019, December). Architectural survey and analysis of the costal tower of S. Maria dell’Alto in Nardò (Lecce, Italy). In Proc. 2019 IMEKO TC-4 International Conference on Metrology for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage (Florence, Italy (pp. 254-258).
2. Mastronuzzi, G., & Sansò, P. (2014). Coastal towers and historical sea level change along the Salento coast (southern Apulia, Italy). Quaternary International, 332, 61-72.
3. Schipa, E., & Venneri, A. (2016). The fortification system along the coastline of Salento peninsula: the metamorphosis of fortified masserie and coastal towers. In Giorgio Verdiani (ed.), Defensive Architecture of the Mediterranean XV to XVIII Centuries (Vol. IV). Didapress. pg.107-111.
4. Schipa, E., & Venneri, A. (2016). The fortification system along the coastline of Salento peninsula: the metamorphosis of fortified masserie and coastal towers. In Giorgio Verdiani (ed.), Defensive Architecture of the Mediterranean XV to XVIII Centuries (Vol. IV). Didapress. pg.107.
5. Margiotta, S., & Sansò, P. (2025). Historical Evolution of the Salento Leccese Coastal Landscape (Southern Apulia, Italy). Geosciences, 15(2), 66.

See also

• List of lighthouses in Italy