The Calamosca tower was part, along with the other coastal towers of Sardinia, of the defense system wanted by the Spanish to safeguard the coastline. It was built in 1638 as attested by the marble plaque walled on the exterior wall. It is located on the promontory of the same name, 54 meters above sea level. Architecturally, it is squat and mighty because it was designed to accommodate large-caliber cannons, suitable for responding to naval fire, hence its Spanish appellation de Armas. It was also called “of the Signals” because it was equipped with an ingenious signaling device that allowed communication with Cagliari Castle. A half-height hatchway, now bricked up, allowed access to the tower and led into a large, partitioned, arched-vaulted room designed to accommodate the garrison. In the original plan of the tower, which had already been converted into a fort, the upper cylinder does not appear, the construction of which dates back to the mid-19th century, following a further expansion suffered by the complex.
The staff envisaged by the Royal Administration of the Towers generally consisted of a commander called an “alcaide,” a gunner, and gunners assisted by tower soldiers. It was an insurmountable bulwark against the broadsides of the warships of Revolutionary France during the attempted conquest of Sardinia in late 1792 and early 1793.
The adjacent lighthouse is not part of the original facility, but was built in 1859. The site is currently used by the Navy.
