As you walk along the beaches of Positano, you may wonder what the stone towers scattered along this stretch of coastline are.
They are the Saracen Towers, constructions that were part of an ancient defensive system of the Amalfi Coast.
Don't be fooled by the name: they were not built by the Saracens, a generic term used in the past to refer to Arab populations of the Muslim faith. They were actually used to defend the coast from Turkish and Saracen pirates.
The very first fortifications were built as early as around 600 AD, but it was around 1200 that an effective defensive system was built. These watchtowers were essential to protect the inhabitants from potential enemy attacks from the sea, especially in the 16th century, to defend the Amalfi Coast from incursions by Muslim peoples, the so-called "Moors," who were expanding into the Mediterranean Sea.
These structures have different characteristics, and may be round, square or octagonal in shape, depending on the historical period in which they were built.
Some are well preserved, mainly due to the recovery and restoration work carried out by the new owners, starting from the early twentieth century; while others have fallen into disrepair, with only a few traces remaining.
One of the best known is the cylindrical Torre Sponda, also known as the Torre di Mezzo or Torre di Positano, which dates back to the 13th century, and is the oldest.
Among the most striking is the Fornillo Tower, from 1582, built on a rocky outcrop overlooking the sea near Fornillo Beach. After it was purchased and expertly restored in the twentieth century by the Swiss architect Gilbert Clavel, it hosted many famous intellectuals and artists, including Picasso.
Today the towers have lost their function and many have been turned into magnificent private residences or accommodations, but their charm has remained intact.
Let me leave you with an interesting fact: the Fornillo Tower was built on a rock on which fishermen had placed an image of the Madonna. When British enemy troops fired a torpedo on Positano in 1943, the rock the tower stands on was destroyed, but the lookout structure and the town were saved. Since then, this event has been considered a miracle granted to Positano by the Madonna.
