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Origin and history

Pinarello Tower, also known as Isoli di Corsi Tower, is a Genoese building located on an island south of the Gulf of Pinarello, on the coast of the municipality of Zonza in South Corsica. It is one of the eight defence towers erected in the jurisdiction of Bonifacio between the late 16th and early 17th centuries to protect the coasts from the barbaric and Turkish attacks. Its square plan, rare in the south of the island, and its documented armament (canons, muskets) make it a characteristic example of Genoese military architecture in the Mediterranean.

The tower was completed in 1591 as part of a fortification programme initiated in 1573 by the local authorities, including Antonio Pellerano and Antonio Belmosto. It was attacked and burned several times by the Turks, notably in 1652 and 1703, requiring successive repairs. An inventory of 1672 recorded his armament: an iron cannon, a mascolo, four muskets and d'hast weapons. The tower remained in service until 1738, before being gradually abandoned. It was listed as a Historic Monument in 1992.

The Tower of Pinarello is part of a network of six towers built between 1589 and 1591 around Porto-Vecchio, financed by the Senate of Sartène and maintained by the Genoese camera. Its garrison, composed of one capo and two soldiers in 1617, illustrates the military organization of the time. After centuries of disrepair, it benefited from restoration campaigns in the 20th century, notably in 1979 and 1989, thanks to the intervention of local associations, the DRAC, and the Conservatoire du littoral.

The Pinarello site, now part of the municipality of Zonza, was historically linked to the transhumance of the shepherds of the Alta Rocca, who used the coastal plain to overwinter their herds. The tower, along with the tower of the neighbouring Foma, bears witness to geopolitical tensions in the Mediterranean and the Genoese defensive strategy against Ottoman raids. Its ranking and recent rehabilitation make it an emblematic heritage of South Corsica.

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