Torre del Coltellazzo

The tower of Coltellazzo or Sant'Efisio is a coastal tower in the Gulf of Cagliari. It stands on the top of the promontory overlooking the ruins of the city of Nora, in the territory of the municipality of Pula.

The tower, built near the remains of the acropolis of Nora, went into operation from 1607, although the existence of an earlier military settlement is attested from the early 14th century. Jorge Aleo, in 1680, makes mention of it, calling it Fortalleza Coltellaz. In the eighteenth century the building was incorporated into a fort, erected between 1722 and 1728 to a design by Piedmontese engineer Antonio Felice de Vincenti. Further work was implemented in the 19th century, when the tower was equipped with a lighthouse.

The tower of the Coltellazzo, since the 18th century also called the tower of Sant'Efisio, in memory of the warrior martyr, whom tradition says was killed in Nora by beheading, was torre de armas or gagliarda, that is, for heavy defense, with a garrison of men commanded by an alcalde. It is in visual contact with the towers of Cala d'Ostia, San Macario and del Diavolo. Built of limestone sandstone, of a truncated conical structure, it measures about 11 meters high by 12 meters in diameter at the base and has a ribbed domed vaulted inner chamber supported by a central pillar.