Pietra Lile Rousse Genoise Tower
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A sentry
The Genoese tower of La Pietra in L’Isula – L’Ile-Rousse – was built during the Genoese occupation of Corsica between 1530 and 1531, well before the town of L’Isula was founded by Pasquale Paoli.
In the Middle Ages, the Pietra Islands were a wild, uninhabited place, completely cut off from the mainland following the rise in sea levels after the Neolithic period. They served as a refuge and temporary anchorage for sailors and Barbary pirates.
In the early 16th century, the Balagne was a prosperous agricultural region producing olive oil and cereals, and a prime target for corsairs. By building the Pietra Tower, the Genoese thus regained control of this strategic position. It was then manned by two keepers, known as torregiani, whose role was to monitor maritime traffic and relay alerts to neighbouring towers, such as those at Saleccia, Pianosa and L’Osari – Losari, further to the east.
