The Coastal Tower of Su Loi

The Su Loi tower is one of the 102 towers that dotted the Sardinian coastline. They formed a lookout system built between the 14th and 16th centuries to counter raids by pirates from North Africa.

The coastal tower of Su Loi

The Su Loi tower was built between the 14th and 16th centuries, during the long war against Barbary piracy. It is a torracela, that is, a watchtower — the simplest and most widespread type in the Sardinian defensive system.

The structure has a circular floor plan, a diameter of approximately 12 metres and a height of 13 metres. The base is in local stone with lime mortar, with thick walls at the bottom tapering as they rise. The original entrance was several metres above the ground, reachable only by a retractable ladder or rope.

Inside, three levels: the solid base (filled with rubble to resist cannon fire), the habitable area with a fireplace and water cistern, and the upper platform with parapet for observation and signal fire.

Capoterra never suffered direct raids; its inland position protected it. But the Su Loi guards watched over the stretch of sea between the lagoon and the Maddalena beach.

Islamic piracy

Piracy in the western Mediterranean was not the work of isolated bandits. It was an organised phenomenon, supported by states and coastal cities of North Africa.

In 1015 Mugahid of Denia, lord of the Balearic Islands, launched a great fleet against Sardinia. The sack of Cagliari in 1015–1016 remained in collective memory for centuries. The raids did not cease: the Turks after the fall of Constantinople (1453), the Barbary corsairs of Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli.

The most feared names: Khayr al-Din Barbarossa, who dominated the Mediterranean in the 16th century with the Ottoman fleet, and Dragut (Torghud Reis), who repeatedly plundered the Sardinian coasts. The raids sought not only plunder but also slaves: men, women and children seized from the coasts and sold in the markets of Algiers and Istanbul.

The fear was such that entire coastal communities moved inland. In Sardinia, once-thriving coastal villages were abandoned. Capoterra itself, refounded in 1655, was prudently sited at the foot of the hills, far from the open sea.

The Sardinian tower system

The response was a system of 102 coastal towers along the entire island. Three types:

• Torracele (like Su Loi) — watchtowers, the simplest type. Circular plan, diameter 4–5 metres, height 7 metres. Garrison: one alcaide and two soldiers. Armed with one or two small-calibre cannon
• Senziglie — light defence towers. Circular plan, diameter 10–12 metres. One swivel gun, five rifles, one alcaide, four soldiers
• Gagliarde (like the Torre Grande of Oristano) — real fortresses. Polygonal plan, diameter 13 metres, height 14 metres. Two cannon, two swivel guns, five rifles. Garrison of eight men

The Regia Amministrazione delle Torri

The towers were not isolated structures. They were managed by the Regia Amministrazione delle Torri, a military organisation with its own hierarchy, funded by a tax paid by coastal communities.

Each tower had an alcaide (commander) and between two and eight soldiers. Signalling worked as follows: by day, damp grass was burned to produce smoke; by night, a fire was lit. One column of smoke meant a generic danger, two columns enemy ships in sight, three columns a landing in progress.

The signal was relayed from tower to tower along the coast and reached the fortified towns within minutes.

With the end of the Barbary threat in the 18th–19th centuries, the towers lost their military function. Many were abandoned, some demolished, others converted. The Su Loi tower, worn by time, is still standing.

Source: Monumenti Aperti fact sheets, texts by Mauro Dadea, graphic design by Marco Frau, 2007.