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Origin and history

The Mortella Tower was built in 1553 by Genoese Admiral Andrea Doria during the Corsican War, as part of the defensive fortifications of the Gulf of St. Florent. Located on the Mortella punta, it controlled maritime access and housed a permanent garrison financed by the Genoese Camera, also acting as a customs post. Its strategic importance made it a recurring target during the conflicts between Genoa, France and the Corsican independence.

In 1760 Pascal Paoli, leader of the Corsican resistance, ordered to shoot the tower to weaken Genoese positions. During the French Revolution, she changed hands several times: taken by the English in 1793, taken over by the French in 1794, and again captured by the British. Admiral Horatio Nelson, impressed by his design, drew up plans to inspire the construction of martello towers on the British and Irish coasts in the early 19th century.

Architecturally, the circular tower had three levels and a crenellated terrace with mâchicoulis. The ground floor housed a tank, while the upper floors, now partially collapsed, were connected by a missing interior staircase. The walls, inclined 13° outwards above a cord, reflect a defensive construction technique typical of the Renaissance. Ranked a historic monument in 1991, it stands today in the state of ruins, witness to the struggles for the control of Corsica.

Its history is part of the larger Saint-Florent, founded by the Genoese in the 16th century as a strong place against French and Ottoman ambitions. The city, with its deep gulf and salines, was a major issue during the sieges of 1553-1554, where French and Genoese fought for eight months. The Mortella Tower, though ruined, remains a symbol of this genoese rivalry and military ingenuity.

In the 18th century, it was integrated into Pascal Paoli's defensive device, which had the tower of Fornali nearby built to control navigation. The English, allied to the Corsicans during the ephemeral Anglo-Corse kingdom (1794-1796), seized it twice. Its decline began after successive destructions and the gradual abandonment of coastal tower systems in the 19th century.

Today, the ruins of the Mortella Tower, a public property, are accessible from the punta Mortella, near the modern lighthouse. They offer a panorama of the Gulf of Saint-Florent and recall the strategic importance of this site, where the fates of Corsica, Genoa, France and England met.

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