The tower of Vendicari is situated on the shore of the bay of Vendicari, in a very charming context, with the ruins of the ancient tonnara and after the cliffs, the beach and the small island of Vendicari.
The Sveva Tower as we know it today is the result of various constructions and adaptation works operated already since the 15th century; the last restoration dates back to 2007.
The date of foundation of this tower remains unknown. The most ancient source that mentions the existence of the building is of Tommaso Fazello, Sicilian historian who indicated the construction of the tower by Pietro D’Aragona. This news is confirmed by an act of Giovanni D’Aragona in 1464, which gave the city of Noto the completion of the building of a fortified tower in the areas of the current reserve of Vendicari.
The construction of this tower became necessary to preserve and defend the warehouses where foodstuffs intended for trade were stored.
The area of the current reserve of Vendicari has probably been port city for the rural communities since the late antique times. This ancient commercial function has been extended in time, as evidenced by a document of 1396, which grants the town of Noto commercial activity thanks the stopover of Vendicari.
The military activity of the Sveva Tower continued officially until 1867, when the Italian government declared it among the military buildings to dismiss; in spite of the collapses and rearrangements that have succeeded since the 16th century and the devastating earthquake of 1693 seriously damaged it.
The structure of the Sveva Tower
With respect to the original structure, the tower today appears to be almost halved in height because of the lack of the last floor (only present in north wall), the vault of covers and the terrace. On the northeast side, there is an entrance, a rectangular door with a massive monolithic architrave. In this prospect, we can see one of the original windows of the structure.
On top of the south-west corners, there are corbels of the 16th century, which acted as support to wide balconies used as lookout posts, cannons recovering and cabins.
In the northeast prospect, at a height of 5 meters, we note an arched door with sixth lowered slightly, visibly “embedded” with respect to the façade. This was the entrance for a drawbridge whose existence is well documented in the early 19th century.
How to reach the Sveva Tower
The Sveva Tower is reachable from the main entrance of the reserve of Vendicari. Crossing the cabanas of observation for birdwatching, you will find yourself in front of the Beach of Vendicari. On your right, you will notice the ancient tonnara with the complex of homes of the anglers and immediately after it, the Sveva Tower.
