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TOUR SAN GIOVANNI
Route de Solaro, 20240 Solaro
Presentation
Very near to the chapel of San Giovanni, a tower known as « Torra di Sarracini, The Saracen?s Tower, was built to give early warning of the approach of any sailing ship that was suspected to belong to invaders, who would aim to capture the inhabitants and sell them as slaves along the Mediterranean coastline. Around a hundred watchtowers of this type were built along the shoreline from 1512 onwards by the Office of Saint Georges and under the control of the Most Serene Republic of Genoa. This square lookout that measured 12m in height and around 6m across (certainly taller originally) was built with cut stone and clay and dates from 1543 (the date is engraved in Roman numerals on the south face) and also fulfilled a defensive role. It housed a garrison of 5 or 6 men, «les torregiani», that raised the alarm by firing a cannon to warn the villagers, farmers and shepherds to hide while there was still time. [ ] Originally, there were five floors: the cave level that served as a storeroom, the guard level with arrow loopholes that allowed archers to shoot without exposing themselves, and then three further levels that provided accommodation. They would enter on the first floor and you could go from one floor to another on wooden staircases. A joint project between the Regional Nature Park and the commune, set up to ensure the preservation and promotion of local heritage, led to the tower being restored in 2000.
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