An "Atlas of the Kingdom of Naples" from 1645 tells us that at the time, Puglia could boast 15 watchtowers. Compiled in the 1680s by mathematician Nicola Antonio Stelliòla and cartographer Màrio Cartàro, the towers are the material result of two major upheavals, one external and the other internal.

The first is the Turkish threat. After a push of more than a century, the Ottomans in 1453 captured Constantinople, effectively marking the end of the Eastern Roman Empire. The Mediterranean became an increasingly dangerous contested sea. In 1480, the Sultan's army, after conquering Otranto, massacred its defenseless inhabitants. Thus, a century of raids became a grim reality, which you can delve into in these audio segments dedicated to Vieste and Otranto.

The second upheaval is entirely within the world of European Christian dynasties. Here, in the birthplace of centralized states, the challenge between civilizations takes place. In Southern Italy, the old Aragonese power now shows signs of weakness. In Europe, the rising star is Charles V of Habsburg, the man who aspires to universal monarchy. Launching a challenge against the papacy and the old structures of Southern Italy, Charles V, through a series of military campaigns and a complicated system of inheritance and kinship, manages to gain control of the Kingdom of Naples and the Kingdom of Sicily and Sardinia.

Having reached the southern borders of Europe, his most formidable counterpart across the sea is the Sultan. To counter this, the emperor, in agreement with Pèdro de Tolèdo, Viceroy of the Kingdom of Naples, promotes the construction of a large defensive line along the Ionian and Adriatic coasts of Pùglia in 1532. This marvelous system of crenelated towers thus rises, transmitting the same rhythmic pace of the coastal landscapes throughout Southern Italy to this part of the Mediterranean. Each observation point has the duty to alert the inland through fires, smoke, horns, and bells. The towers must give the population time to reach fortified farmhouses or even castles.

This protection policy will also involve the heirs of Charles V, especially Philip II, who will contribute to its growth. 

About a century after the trauma of Turkish invasions, a new structure of power - more modern and centralized - is able to organize a defensive response through these towers. These are the premises for the containment strategy that would become evident with the Battle of Lèpanto in 1571.