The Tower of Pinareddu (Corsican: Torra di Pinareddu) is a Genoese tower located in the commune of Zonza (Corse-du-Sud) on the east coast of the Corsica. The tower sits at an elevation of 52 metres (171 ft) on the Île de Pinarellu.
Tower of Pinareddu | |
---|---|
Native name Torra di Pinareddu (Corsican) | |
Coordinates | 41°40′14″N 9°23′33″E / 41.67056°N 9.39250°E |
Designated | 4 August 1992 |
Reference no. | PA00099147 |
The tower was built in around 1595. It 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. Genoese documents refer to the Île de Pinarellu as the Isola dei Corsi or the Island of the Corsaires.[1][2] The design of the Tower of Pinareddu is unusual in that the plan is square rather than round. The tower is 13 metres (43 ft) in height and each side at the base is 9.5 metres (31 ft) reducing to 8 metres (26 ft) at the string course. The tower was attacked by the Ottoman Turks and burned in 1650.[3][4]
Since 1981 the Tower of Pinareddu has been owned and maintained by the French government agency, the Conservatoire du littoral. Restoration work was carried out in 1994. The agency has acquired the 19 hectares (47 acres) of the island.[5][6] In 1992 the tower was listed as one of the official historical monuments of France.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Graziani, Antoine-Marie (2000). "Les ouvrages de défense en Corse contre les Turcs (1530–1650)". In Vergé-Franceschi, Michel; Graziani, Antoine-Marie (eds.). La guerre de course en Méditerranée (1515-1830) (in French). Paris: Presses de l'Université Paris IV-Sorbonne. pp. 102, 151. ISBN 2-84050-167-8.
- ^ Graziani, Antoine-Marie (1992). Les Tours Littorales (in French and Italian). Ajaccio, France: Alain Piazzola. pp. 23, 160. ISBN 2-907161-06-7.
- ^ Colombani, Philippe; Harnéquaux, Mathieu; Istria, Daniel (2008). "Les tours génoises". L’Alta Rocca (PDF) (in French). Centre Régional de Documentation Pédagogique de Corse. pp. 14–15. ISBN 978-2-86-620-212-5.
- ^ Document d’objectifs NATURA 2000, Iles Pinarellu et Roscana, Zone spéciale de conservation FR9400585. Conservatoire de l’Espace Littoral et des Rivages Lacustres. 2010. p. 31.
- ^ "Tour Genoise de Pinarellu". 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. 50. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
- ^ "Île de Pinarellu". Conservatoire du littoral, Ministère de l'écologie, du développement durable et de l'énergie. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ^ Base Mérimée: Tour de Pinarello ou d'Isoli di Corsi, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
External links
edit- Nivaggioni, Mathieu; Verges, Jean-Marie. "Les Tours Génoises Corses" (in French). Includes information on how to reach 90 towers and many photographs.