Marrana Tower

Visit the archaeological site of Ricadi, Marrana Tower, in the province of Vibo Valentia, one of Calabria's ancient coastal towers surrounded by greenery, a stone's throw from Capo Vaticano in the Costa degli Dei Regional Marine Park. Part of an efficient defensive system designed to counter Saracen raids, Marrana Tower was one of a complex of seven towers in visual communication with each other. Today, five of these, including Marrana, are in ruins (Bali Tower, Ruffa Tower, Tuono Tower, Capo Vaticano Tower) and two have been completely lost. Marrana Tower at Capo Vaticano is part of an archaeological area of great interest, as well as dominating a breathtaking landscape, open to the blue sea and surrounded by the green Mediterranean scrub.

The structure, dating back to the 16th century, has a circular plan and is currently about six metres high. This type of tower usually had a guard room for the so-called “cavallàro”, the soldier responsible for spreading the alarm on horseback between one tower and another, and a cistern below the floor, accessible by an internal staircase, for collecting rainwater. At the foot of Marrana Tower stands a modern open-air theatre that hosts the summer festival “Avvistamenti Teatrali” and a series of artistic and cultural events at different times of the year.

The archaeological context surrounding Marrana Tower in Ricadi is rich in evidence: several Bronze Age tombs have been found nearby; on the promontory of Tower Santa Maria, the remains of a Greek farm that controlled the landing place have been excavated; further down, those of a late Republican Roman complex and ancient port structures. Archaeologists hypothesise that the entire area may correspond to the ancient Portus Erculis mentioned by Pliny and Strabo.