The site of Torre dell’Alto is located in the Municipality of Nardò (LE).
The area owes its name to the presence of a sixteenth-century tower, built about 50 m above sea level, which dominates the entire bay. It is located in the Porto Selvaggio Nature Park and is characterised by a compact pine forest, the result of intensive planting in the 1950s. In this picturesque natural setting, in addition to the sixteenth-century tower, the remains of a monumental fortified wall from the Bronze Age are partially visible.
Although the Bronze Age wall been known for many years, it remains relatively unknown due to the lack of systematic research. Since 2021, the University of Bologna, under the direction of Prof. Iacono, has been studying the area.
The Bronze Age settlement of Torre dell'Alto is part of a broader phenomenon characterized by the emergence of fortified settlements in the central Mediterranean during the 3rd and 2nd millennia BCE.
The massive dry-stone wall measuring approximately 20 × 200 m, making it one of the largest in all of peninsular Italy. The Bronze Age settlement of Torre dell’Alto was also in a relationship of inter-visibility with another settlement, which at the moment would appear to be coeval and located at Punta dell’Aspide, further to the south of the coast.
Torre dell'Alto
