Fortezza del Tocco opera di Camilliani del XVI secolo Acireale

The Fortezza del Tocco is a fort in Acireale,

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. It was built in the 16th century to defend the city from attacks by

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

History

After the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, the

Barbary pirates The Barbary pirates, or Barbary corsairs or Ottoman corsairs, were Muslim pirates and privateers who operated from North Africa, based primarily in the ports of Salé, Rabat, Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli, Libya, Tripoli. This area was known i ...

continued to raid the Sicilian coastline. In 1582,

Uluç Ali Occhiali (Giovanni Dionigi Galeni or ''Giovan Dionigi Galeni'', also ''Uluj Ali'', tr, Uluç Ali ''Reis'', later ''Uluç Ali Paşa'' and finally Kılıç Ali Paşa; 1519 – 21 June 1587) was an Italian farmer, then Ottoman privateer and ...

attempted to raid Acireale. Although the raid was unsuccessful, the population were afraid of further attacks and began fortifying the area. The Spanish (then the rulers of the

Kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily ( la, Regnum Siciliae; it, Regno di Sicilia; scn, Regnu di Sicilia) was a state that existed in the south of the Italian Peninsula and for a time the region of Ifriqiya from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 un ...

) built the Fortezza del Tocco between 1592 and 1616. The fort was designed by

Camillo Camilliani Camillo Camilliani ( fl. 1574–1603) was an Italian architect, military engineer and sculptor. He is mostly known for the design of watchtowers and other fortifications around the coasts of Sicily. Life Camillani was born in Florence sometime ...

and Vincenzo Geremia. Other nearby fortifications that were also built around the same time as the Fortezza del Tocco include the ''Torre Alessandrano'', the ''Torre di Sant'Anna'' and the ''Garitta di S. Tecla''. Some modifications were made to the fort in the early 17th century. It repelled a French attack in 1675. The fort lost its importance and was decommissioned in the 19th century. Its last guns were removed in 1834, and were taken to the Pinacoteca Zelantea de Acireale, where they remain today. Since 1999, the fort and the surrounding area have been a nature reserve. It is open to the public.

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures in Acireale Tocco Buildings and structures completed in the 16th century Military installations closed in the 19th century Spanish colonial fortifications 16th-century architecture in Italy