Description of the attraction
The Torre Medicea Tower is one of the tourist attractions in the resort town of Castiglioncello. It was built in the mid-16th century by order of the Medici family as part of the coastal defense system. Nearby is the small church of Sant Andrea Apostolo.
It is known that the construction of the tower began no earlier than 1540 and was finally completed only in 1570. At the beginning of the 17th century, with the establishment of the new captaincy of Livorno, the tower became the southernmost observation tower in the entire province. It retained its military and defensive significance in the future.
In the 19th century, Torre Medicea became the property of the state, and in 1872 it was bought by the artist Diego Martelli, who later passed it on to his mother. Subsequently, the tower passed to Baron Lazzaro Patrone, the owner of the neighboring castle, now known as Castello Pasquini, and in the late 19th - early 20th centuries changed owners more than once. Numerous owners have rebuilt Torre Medicea several times and changed its purpose - for example, Count Gualtiero Danieli built a medieval-style villa next to the tower.
In December 2002, the restoration work of the old tower was completed, during which the building was restored to its original appearance. Today it is a massive square structure with not very slender forms. The tower stands on a retaining wall, above which there is an entrance to the inside. The tower itself contains two residential floors and a storage floor.
