In southern Italy people still say “Mamma li Turchi!” (“Mother, the Turks!”) to express alarm. The phrase is a memory of the Ottoman navy and the North African corsairs who terrorised the coasts in the 16th century. The most famous name of that age is Hayreddin Barbarossa.

The raid on Fondi, 1534

Having taken command of the Ottoman navy, Barbarossa led a campaign along Italy’s Tyrrhenian coast in the summer of 1534. On the night of 8–9 August he raided Fondi, between Rome and Naples. According to the story, his aim was to abduct the countess Giulia Gonzaga, famed for her beauty, and take her to Suleiman. Giulia escaped on horseback in the dark, but Fondi and nearby Sperlonga suffered heavily. The details differ between sources and have partly become legend.

Lipari, 1544

In 1543, under an alliance with France, Barbarossa’s fleet took part in the siege of Nice and spent the winter at Toulon. On the way back in 1544 it struck the Italian coast again; after Ischia it besieged the island of Lipari, north of Sicily. The Ottoman fleet took the island and carried off most of its inhabitants as captives.

The coastal towers

Against these raids, the Kingdom of Naples built watchtowers along the coast in the 16th century, each within sight of the next. A fire lit on one tower warned the next of approaching ships. Many of these “torri costiere” still stand above the beaches and coves of southern Italy.

The stone towers along Italy’s coasts are what remains today of a fear that once came from the sea.

What to see today

  • Fondi: the historic centre and medieval castle (Castello Caetani).
  • Sperlonga: the white-washed old town and seaside watchtowers such as the Torre Truglia.
  • Lipari: the castle hill ringed by walls strengthened after 1544, and the archaeological museum.
  • Southern Italian coasts: dozens of watchtowers along the shores of Campania, Calabria and Apulia.

Tips for your visit

Fondi and Sperlonga can be reached from Rome or Naples by train and a short bus ride; together they make a fine day trip. Lipari is reached by ferry or hydrofoil from Milazzo in Sicily. Check the current opening times of museums and castles before you go. For the other side of the Mediterranean sea war, see the Pisa page.