One of the places you must see, close to your accommodation in Southern Corsica, is the village of
Campomoro, its Genovese Tower and its wild coastline. If you look across the Valinco Gulf, from your terrace at Cantu di Mare, you can just make out the coast line of this small village. Campomoro takes its name from ‘Maures’ camp’ and is a small fishermen’s village located in a protected site. What strikes you when you arrive in Campomoro is the serenity of the place. At the end of a small picturesque road with amazing views over the Valinco Gulf, this small seaside village is charming and unspoilt. There are no large structures, just a beautiful beach with clear waters set on a background of mountainous landscape.
The Genovese Tower
Under the Republic of the Genes, hundreds of towers were erected from the 16th Century along the Corsican coastline to protect le land from barbaric pirates’ attacks which were taking place at the time in the Mediterranean – hence the name of Genovese tower which was kept. It is at the request of the Governor Pier Battista Cattaneo that the largest Genovese tower was erected in Campomoro between 1585 and 1586. Designed by the Neapolitan engineer Domenico Pelo, the tower was built by Carlo Spinola who was assigned to carry out the work. The tower was partly financed by the extraction of coral and partly by a local tax. Despite its distance from all habitations and the issues with getting water and lime to it, the site was chosen for its strategic location. The work progressed quickly at first – on the 17th September, a quarter of the tower was already built- then due to a harsh winter, the bad quality of the lime and the fact that many of the builders were ill, the work on the tower slowed down. The tower was finished in May 1586.
You can visit the tower via an ancient path that was restored and maintained thanks to the Elisa organisation. Visitors can follow in the footsteps of the men who since the Bronze Age walked and worked this land. Visitors are free to wander between the sea and the opulent vegetation, enjoying all the local sights, sounds, and scents. In this heavenly landscape, visitors can dream away while gazing at the gulls flying low over the waves, the towers who guard the horizon and the stone walls that seem never-ending.
