16th-century watchtower, one of the first four built at the wish of Pope Pius IV in 1562 to defend the promontory from raids by Saracen and Barbary pirates, standing on the Fico cliff. Like the other towers of the system, it had a sloping base without openings and rose on two floors, with a diameter of 7.5 to 9 metres and a height of 12 to 15 metres, designed to house a small garrison of soldiers whose task was to signal the sighting of hostile ships.
These lands belonged to the Papal States. At the end of the 16th century there was a need both to watch for raids by Barbary pirates and Turks and to protect the ships crossing the Gulf on their way from Naples and Sicily to Rome. To control and defend the territory, Pope Pius IV ordered Niccolò and Bonifacio Caetani (Lords of Sermoneta and San Felice) to build, at their own expense, four Towers (Torre Paola, Torre Moresca, Torre Cervia and Torre Fico) to keep watch over the coast, the inland areas and shipping. Torre Fico was built on the cliff on the opposite coast from Torre Paola, to defend the cove where the marina stands today and the whole stretch of rocky coast as far as the Lighthouse. Building these Towers was not easy, as the Saracen pirates did not want them, so the workers had to be protected by an armed escort. The circular plan, dictated by the terrain, was also a military strategy, since a smooth round surface deflects cannon fire better than a square tower. It is entered from the first floor via a wooden gangway, operated from inside, which made entry more difficult once raised. To protect the soldiers from attacks by land, a “shield” (a raised wall) was added on the gun platform (the flat roof) on the side facing the promontory. The base, strictly sloping and without openings to defend it from land attacks, rises on two floors and ends in a crown of corbels and machicolations where the artillery was placed. The towers were completed in 1563. Of the many stories told in local writings about the useful defensive role of these watchtowers: in the clash of 1809 with English ships, Torre Fico (together with Torre Cervia and Torre Moresca) was badly damaged, and it was rebuilt about eight years later (in 1817) at the wish of Pius VII. It seems to be called Torre Fico because a “huge fig tree” grew where it was built; others say it is because of the many prickly pear plants (fico d’India), still clearly visible from the sea and the road (Opuntia ficus-indica is the scientific name of this plant, probably brought by Christopher Columbus from Central America, not from India!). The Tower we see today does not follow the original design (only Torre Paola does), as it was rebuilt under Pius VII.
