Welcome to Torre San Giovanni, an observation point of winds and mirages.

The checkerboard painting on these walls serves a practical purpose: to make the lighthouse visible not only at night but also during the day. For those at sea, being able to identify this location at a glance is crucial because the waters in front of the Tórre Sàn Giovànni Lighthouse are very dangerous. I'll tell you more about it in the upcoming audio tracks.

In the meantime, I'd like to point out that this lighthouse is also a tower - in fact, the first tower ever built - in Salènto, designed to defend the coast from incursions.

In 1480 the Ottomans attacked Otranto. That dramatic event coincided with a period of decline in the Aragonese Kingdom of Naples, which ruled over Pùglia at the time. Another phase began, and the new realm of Charles V - a completely different, modern, and centralized power - decided to construct 122 watchtowers along Pùglia’s coasts. It was a long-term project designed to warn the inland cities of dangers. The system took at least a couple of centuries to become fully operational.

By that time, the world had changed. With the unification of Italy in 1861 and the new routes made possible by the opening of the Suez Canal, the old watch-tower system became one of the useful infrastructures for building modernity. New large ports and monumental lighthouses, like this one, emerged.

Today, 74 coastal defense outposts are visible, and more than half of them are still standing. In this audio narration, you will find six of them: this one, Torre Pietra in Margherita di Savoia, Torre Calderina in Molfetta, the San Cataldo Lighthouse in Bari, the Punta Palascìa Lighthouse in Òtranto, and Torre San Felice in Vieste.

Thanks to the European project CoHeN Coastal Heritage Network, much has been done for the knowledge and repurposing of these structures. Visiting them means discovering the paths that connect them which also relate to the other coast of the Adriatic sea. By sea, by train, or on foot, the coastal tower journey is an extraordinary travel project.

Consider this: visiting a lighthouse or a coastal tower means preserving traditions and landscapes, discovering still-relevant technological innovations, and listening to unexpected stories.