Torre di Porto Giunco

The tower of Porto Giunco is a Spanish watchtower located on the eastern side of the promontory of Capo Carbonara, in the territory of Villasimius.

It can be reached on foot from the cove of porto Giunco by following a path that winds through the Mediterranean scrubland that covers the promontory, or by car from the Capo Carbonara side. The tower stands at a height of about 50 meters above sea level, and from its position it dominates the beach of porto Giunco below and the Notteri pond.

The approximately 9-meter-high tower is truncated cone-shaped and was probably built in 1578. The building material used was local granite. The original structure had a domed vault. The top of the tower can be reached by an internal spiral staircase. The tower is classified among the senzillas towers, that is, those of medium size.

Over time the tower suffered several attacks and was renovated several times, in 1721 it was abandoned, but resumed its function in 1758. In 1812, when Sardinia was already part of the Savoy state, the tower was besieged by a fleet of Tunisian warships that had also attacked the towers on the island of Cavoli, Serpentara, and San Giovanni di Sarrala, but it resisted. The last known citation gives it still in service in 1843, although it was abandoned shortly thereafter.

The tower of Porto Giunco is part of a system of coastal towers that were built by the Spanish between the 16th and 17th centuries on the headlands of the coasts of southern Sardinia to spot Barbary pirates. Coming from Cagliari one encounters in order: the Cala Regina tower, the De su Fenogu tower, the Capo Boi tower, the old fortress of Villasimius, the Cavoli Island tower, the Porto Giunco tower, the Serpentara Island tower, and the Cala Pira tower.

Each tower is placed so that the previous tower and the next one are visible, thus enabling fast communication all along the coast with lights and signals.