Torre del Prezzemolo, Cagliari

The Parsley or Lazzaretto tower is a coastal tower in Cagliari, located not far from the 18th-century building of the former Lazzaretto. It can be reached from the village of Sant'Elia by practicing a dirt road.

The building stands on a narrow rocky outcrop of Sant'Elia Hill, 34 meters above sea level. The name "del Prezzemolo" once identified another coastal tower, the nearby cala Fighera tower, which no longer exists.

The tower, originally called "Capo Bernat" or "Cala Bernat" or "del Lazzaretto" tower, has 16th-century origins. In 1638 it was decommissioned, following the construction of the nearby tower of Calamosca. It was rearmed in the 18th century and in 1793 played a major role in repelling the landing of the French. Subsequently the tower was again and permanently decommissioned. Restoration work affected it in the year 1916, while in 1967 the underlying rock was propped up by building buttresses.

The truncated cone-shaped building is modest in size and was of the type of torrezillas, or "minor" coastal towers, sparsely armed and with an almost exclusive function of sighting. It was in visual contact with several towers in the Gulf of the Angels, including the nearby towers of the Segnali and Sant'Elia, as well as with Cagliari Castle.

The Parsley Tower was built of limestone. The inner chamber, whose entrance is four meters high, has a domed vault. In the absence of an internal masonry staircase, the parade ground was reached through a trapdoor using a ladder.