Crawford Tower

The Saracen Tower is located atop a spur that protects the bay. The tall staircase leading to the first and second floors of the tower is one of the most significant features of the entire structure. The stone blocks, approximately 50 cm long and 20 cm wide, are supported by two large overlapping arches. The first arch leads to the first floor, while the second arch opens to the second floor. Above the tower, the terrace was used for communicating and warning other lookout towers about potential raids, which was done through large bonfires.

From 1887 to the early 1900s, the writer Francis Marion Crawford (1854-1909) resided in this tower. Crawford was not only a successful author but also an avid sailor, holding a master mariner’s certificate. During a voyage in the waters of the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, he landed in the Bay of San Nicola Arcella and fell in love with the place, especially the sixteenth-century tower that had been built to defend against Saracen raids.