Via della Principessa
La Torraccia
THE TOWER
The Torraccia, or Torre Vecchia, is a 14.50 metre high medieval fortification located along the Via della Principessa, the road from San Vincenzo to Piombino. The tower was built by the Pisans and renovated by the Florentines under Cosimo I De' Medici in the 16th century. In memory of this, a plaque stands on one side of the building with the inscription 'Cosmus Med. Florentiae et Senar: Dux II'.
The structure originally served as a watchtower against enemies but, following the advancement of the coastline that brought it, as it is today, 100 metres from the shoreline, it was decreed to be dismantled.
Under the tower originally ran the drainage canal of Lake Rimigliano, now dried up.
Until 1871, the Torraccia was owned by the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Later, it passed to the state and finally to private owners, to whom it still belongs today.
The Torraccia beach was, in the last century, the stage for some military exercises held in the presence of the King of Italy Vittorio Emanuele III and the then Prime Minister Benito Mussolini.
In 2016, following renovation work on the building, an ancient road, probably of Roman origin, was discovered buried under the asphalt near the tower.
The Torraccia is a private structure, but thanks to an agreement with the owners, it can also be visited by the public.
