Near the chapel of San Giovanni, a tower called "Torra di Sarracini", tower of the Saracens, was built to give warning of the approach of any suspicious sails of the so-called invaders who captured the inhabitants to sell them as slaves on the shores of the Mediterranean.
Nearly a hundred watchtowers of this type were built along the coast from 1512 onwards by the Office of Saint George and under the control of the Serenissima Republic of Genoa.
This square watchtower, 12 m high and about 6 m wide (certainly higher originally), built of ashlar and clay and dating from 1543 (date engraved in Roman numerals on the southern façade), also had a defensive function. It housed a garrison of 5 or 6 men, the "torregiani", who sounded the alarm by firing cannon shots to warn the inhabitants of the villages, farmers or shepherds who could take refuge in time[+].
Originally there were five floors: the cellar floor which served as a storehouse, the guard floor with two loopholes allowing the gunners to fire back without exposing themselves, and finally three floors which served as living quarters. A joint development project between the Regional Nature Park and the commune, based on the preservation and enhancement of the heritage, led to the restoration of the tower in 2000.
