Menu :

Histoire

Personnages

Nature

Itinéraires par région

The Torre di San Giovanni, so called because it is close to the church of San Giovanni in Sinis, was built between the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century on top of the hill overlooking the archaeological site of Tharros, about 50 metres above sea level, to protect the local populations from the raids of pirates and Barbary corsairs who came from neighbouring North Africa.

Between the 16th and 17th centuries, on the orders of the Spanish Crown, the towers of San Giovanni (known as Torre Spagnola), Capo San Marco (known as Torre Vecchia) and del Sevo (known as Turr'e Seu) were built along the Sinis coast of Cabras. Like the other Sardinian coastal towers, they were built to protect the local population from the raids of pirates and Barbary corsairs from nearby North Africa. Another tower, Su Pottu, was probably built at the end of the 17th century, on the bank of the Cabras Pond with the function of guarding and protecting the fishing trade in the lake basin. Probably built during the reign of Philip II, possibly during the viceroyalty of De Moncada, the Torre di San Giovanni was a ‘torre de armas’, i.e. a ‘gagliarda’ tower, one suitable for defence. Outwardly resembling two superimposed cylinders, it has a base diameter of more than 14 metres and its height, including the terrace, is about 11 metres, to which the foundation plinth and the parapet of the parade ground , i.e. the open-air terrace armed with cannons and guns, have to be added, for a total of about 15 metres. The material used for the building, which is about about 4 metres thick, is calcareous sandstone but it is possible to detect material salvaged from Punic-Roman ruins in the area and the archaeological area of Tharros. The entrance opens at a height of about 8 m above ground level, which can be reached today though an external stairwell built in the nineteenth century. Inside is a large circular room with a domed vault, illuminated from above through a skylight. It has a trap door on the floor that allowed access to the cistern for collecting rainwater. Cut into the thickness of the surrounding walls are the fireplace and the local “santabarbara”, the powder magazine. On the terrace, which is accessible by an internal staircase, two lodgings were built in stone and brickwork in the second half of the 19th century, when the tower was garrisoned to stop smuggling, In addition, to facilitate access, a quadrangular structure with a wooden staircase with several flights was added to the entrance. The Torre di San Giovanni was restored between 1987 and 1990 and is the only one of the Sinis towers that can also be visited inside. (source: https://www.tharros.sardegna.it/)

Cabras

Accessibilité :

Services :

Informative amenities :

GRITACCESS:

Prices :

Contact :