16th-century coastal tower, one of the first four built in 1562 by Pope Pius IV at Cala Moresca (or Concolino) to defend the Circeo promontory. Of all the towers in the defensive system, it has survived in the worst condition: today it is a ruin, of which only the base can be seen, while its role was partly taken over in 1811 by the French battery built nearby, together with that of Torre Cervia.
Torre Moresca is also called Falconara, Cancolino or Torre di bella vista (Tower of the Fine View). The name “Falconara”, as with Torre Cervia, comes from the animal world: on these rock faces the peregrine falcon found, and still finds, the ideal place to nest. Of the coastal Towers built at the wish of Pope Pius IV to defend the Papal States, Torre Moresca was the last to be built. The sites for the Towers were strategic, placed so that they could communicate by sight, with fires at night and smoke signals by day. The only two Towers that could not see each other were Torre Paola and Torre Moresca, hidden by the spur of the Precipizio, but they probably used the sound of cannon fire to signal danger. Torre Moresca is the furthest inland on the promontory, to defend the territory from pirate attacks and keep watch over the coast from the Precipizio to the whole of Valle Caduta, full of inlets and hiding places! The circular plan is due both to the rugged site and to military strategy, since a smooth round surface deflects cannon fire better than a square or quadrangular tower, and has no “blind spots”. Only the base of Torre Moresca remains; to get a clear idea of what it was like, you can visit Torre Paola, the only one that still follows the original design. It was the least well armed, being further inland and mainly used for watching and sighting rather than defence. In 1809, after a fierce English attack, this Tower was razed to the ground, while Torre Fico and Torre Cervia were badly damaged.
