Tour de Girolata

Tour de Girolata
Coordinates 42°20′51″N 8°36′46″E / 42.34750°N 8.61278°E / 42.34750; 8.61278Coordinates: 42°20′51″N 8°36′46″E / 42.34750°N 8.61278°E / 42.34750; 8.61278
Built 1551-1552
Designated 11 April 2008
Reference no. PA2A000003
Location of Tour de Girolata in Corsica

The Tour de Gerolata or Fortin de Gerolata (Corsican: Torra di Girolata) is a Genoese tower located in the commune of Osani (Corse-du-Sud) on the west coast of the French island of Corsica. The tower sits at an elevation of 36 metres (118 ft) on a rocky outcrop in the Golfe de Girolata.

The tower was built between 1551 and 1552. The construction was initially supervised by Gieronimo da Levanto but on his death he was replaced by Giovan Battista de'Franchi. The tower was one of a series of coastal defences constructed by the Republic of Genoa between 1530 and 1620 to stem the attacks by Barbary pirates.[1] In 2008 it was listed as one of the official historical monuments of France.[2]

The tower is not open to the public. Since 2009 it has been owned by a French government agency, the Conservatoire du littoral. The agency plans to purchase 937 hectares (2,320 acres) of the land around the Golfe de Girolata and of 2011 had acquired 64 hectares (160 acres).[3]

Drawing of the tower from the Genoese archives dating from the 1590s

See also

References

  1. ↑ Graziani, Antoine-Marie (2000). "Les ouvrages de défense en Corse contre les Turcs (1530-1650)". In Vergé-Franceschi, Michel; Graziani, Antoine-Marie. La guerre de course en Méditerranée (1515-1830) (in French). Paris: Presses de l'Université Paris IV-Sorbonne. pp. 107–110. ISBN 2-84050-167-8.
  2. ↑ "Monuments historiques: Fortin de Girolata" (in French). Ministère de la culture. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  3. ↑ "Tour Genoise d'Omignia". Catalogue monuments historiques (PDF) (Report) (in French). Conservatoire du littoral, Ministère de l'écologie, du développement durable et de l'énergie, République Française. July 2011. p. 44. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  • Nivaggioni, Mathieu; Verges, Jean-Marie. "Les Tours Génoises Corses" (in French). Includes information on how to reach 90 towers and many photographs.
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