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Origin and history

The tower of Seneca, also called Torre di Seneca, is a round tower built on horseback in the communes of Pino and Luri, in Cap Corse. Dating from the 15th or 16th century according to the sources, it is built on a rocky pile at 564 meters altitude, overlooking the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian seas. Accessible from the Pass of Saint Lucia, it is surrounded by a dense maquis close to the former convent Saint-Nicolas, now transformed into lodgings.

A local legend combines this tower with the Roman philosopher Seneca, exiled to Corsica in the first century, although there is no evidence to confirm his stay there. Originally, a feudal castle, Castellu dei Motti, was built in the 11th or 12th century by the Peverelli lords on a prehistoric site. Destroyed during the popular revolt of 1357-1358, it was replaced in 1390 by a new castle built by Giovanni Da Mare, then invaded around 1470 by the inhabitants of Barrettali.

Only the dungeon, nicknamed Torre di Seneca, survived after these conflicts. Between 1556 and 1559, the French seized the tower and took Luri to the Genoese. The building, a symbol of power and surveillance, was classified as a historic monument in 1840. Today, it belongs to the commune and remains an architectural testimony of medieval and renaissant struggles in Corsica.

The tower offers a strategic perspective, reflecting its historic role in territorial oversight and control. Its access, via a trail from the Col de Saint Lucia, also makes it a popular hiking spot, mixing heritage and preserved landscapes.

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