Torre di Calamosca, Cagliari

The Calamosca tower is a historic building in Cagliari, located on Sant'Elia hill in the San Bartolomeo area. The bulk of the tower, with the adjacent lighthouse, dominates the small beach of Calamosca, from which it takes its name. The complex is currently owned by the Navy.

The original layout of the tower, which is cylindrical in shape, dates back to 1638, as recorded in the plaque walled outside and bearing the coat of arms of the King of Spain. Its construction was part of the Spanish defense project in Sardinia, as a result of which several coastal towers were built on the island. The tower of Calamosca was called torre de armas, because of the powerful cannons it housed, or also tower of signals, because of the signals that were sent from it for the purpose of communicating to the Castle of Cagliari any ship passages. It played a major role in repelling the attack of the French fleet in 1793. In the mid-19th century the original tower was raised with the addition of the upper cylindrical body, and the nearby lighthouse was erected.