Cagliari, Signal Tower

The location of the tower, suspended between sky and sea on a limestone rocky ridge, offers an exceptional view of the entire Gulf of Angels. From here you can see all the towers of the Gulf of Cagliari, from Sant'Efisio to the Island of Cavoli.
The Signal Tower of Calamosca was built by 1638, as shown by an inscription on the outside, and is among the largest in Sardinia.
The tower consists of three volumes: the first, starting from the bottom, is of a truncated conical shape, 7 m high, with a lower diameter of about 17 m; the second is a 3 m tall cylinder with a diameter of 17 m; the third is still a 6 m tall cylinder with a diameter of 13.80 m.
The ground floor has 3.3 m thick masonry and is covered by a large dome vault about 8 m high and with a diameter of 11 m. An internal staircase leads up to the first floor, also covered with a very large dome vault, 5 m high and with a diameter of 12 m.
From an architectural and structural point of view, the tower is in excellent condition. The inner and outer walls are plastered, the stairs practicable. On the outside, the usual torus molding marks the passage between the truncated conical volume and the first cylinder. The second detail - a molding placed on the end of the first cylinder and formed by a shell surmounted by a strip - is less frequent in 17th century Sardinian fortifications.

Bibliography
Sardinia, series "Guide to Italy T.C.I. “, Milan, 1984;
P. Castelli, “Design of the territorial defense system”, in 17th and 18th century art and culture in Sardinia. Proceedings of the National Conference, Naples, 1984;
G. Montaldo, "Coastal defensive preparations “, in 17th and 18th century art and culture in Sardinia. Proceedings of the National Conference, Naples, 1984;
G. Montaldo, The coastal towers in Sardinia, Sassari, Carlo Delfino, Sassari 1992.