St. Lawrence's Tower

The Tower gets its name from the Palaeo–Christian Church dedicated to Lorenzo Saint. It was built in 1570 in proximity of the church, under drawing attributed to Michelangelo Buonarroti, to defend the territory from the incursions of the turkish corsairs. For its monumental beauty the Turkish named it “La Pomposa”. (The Pompous”).


Placed at about hundred metres from the sea, in a unique environment made of a “tomboleto”, a complex of dunes high up to ten metres covered by the wonderful and coloured maquis (mediterranean bush), the tower was part of an impressive defensive system made of fourteen towers alongside the Lazio coast. .

High over thirty metres and square – shaped, the tower had at its top a parade ground. The access to the tower consisted of a flight stopping at about two metres of the entrance portal. The empty space was filled by a drawbridge handled from the inside.

Damaged during the latest war, the tower was subjected to a first restoration. It is presently awaiting a definitive arrangement in order to make it available for a visit.