Tour du sel & Caponnière

The Tour du Sel, a 15th-century edifice, is part of a set of coastal fortifications built by the Republic of Genoa to guard against incursions by Barbary pirates. It was built in 1495, at a time when the town was under Genoese rule.

This coastal tower, then known as the "Torrachina de la Marina", originally served as a watchtower. It was later used to collect port taxes and fines, notably the gabelle, a tax on salt - hence its current name. Salt was stored in the lower part of the building.

The Tour du Sel is linked to the Citadelle by a caponnière, a fortified passageway comprising two floors of superimposed staircases.

In1757, the tower changed function: it was used as a powder magazine on the upper floor, and as a salt warehouse on the first floor.

Today,thanks to recent restoration work, it has been transformed into a venue for cultural exhibitions. Its restoration and enhancement actively contribute to the city's cultural and tourist development.