Lost fame of Punta Mortella

The ancient tower of Punta Mortella guarded the Gulf of St-Florent since the second half of the 16th century, when it was built (around 1563) according the plan of Italian architect Giacomo Palearo as a part of the Genoese defensive system.

The tower had two 18-pounder guns on top and made the bay impossible for the British to use in their invasion of February 1794. The British later blew up the tower but were so impressed that from 1805 they based their own Martello tower coastal defences against Napoleon on it. They corrupted the Italian name "mortella" (myrtle) into "martello".

The photo was taken in April 2006.