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Origin and history

The Genoese tower of Albo, located in the commune of Ogliastro on the west coast of Cap Corse, was built between 1530 and 1620 by the Republic of Genoa. It was part of a network of coastal towers designed to protect villages from raids by barbaric pirates, frequent at that time in the Mediterranean. In 1588 it was damaged during an attack by Hassan Veneziano, who captured dozens of inhabitants of the neighbouring village. A genoese document of 1617 indicates that the tower was guarded at night by men from the villages of Ogliastro and Olcani, highlighting its local defensive role.

The tower was built at the initiative and expense of the Ogliastro community in the second half of the sixteenth century. It played a key role in the protection of the local navy, at which time the important port of call of Cap Corse, and in the development of the arable land of the Agriates. In 1768, it was occupied by the French troops, who established entrenchments there to block the withdrawal of the Corsican troops evacuating the castle of Nonza. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was transformed into a home, with architectural changes such as the addition of a staircase in the 19th century and the development of a door at its base.

Architecturally, the tower is circular in shape, built in shale, and includes a vaulted dome room on the first floor. A terrace surrounded by mâchicoulis crowns the building, accessible by a staircase integrated in the thickness of the walls. The stairhouse on the terrace lost its original cover. Ranked a historical monument by decree of 4 August 1992, the tower of Albo bears witness to the genoese defensive strategies in Corsica and the subsequent adaptations of its use.

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