Il Torrione

The Torrione is the largest tower in Forio: towering over the entire town, nestled within a dense fabric of buildings, almost all of notable architectural quality.

Until a few years ago, due to its state of preservation, it was the best among the more than fifty towers that were part of the medieval defensive system on the island.

It was built at the expense of the University in 1480 as a lookout and defense tower, to face the raids of Barbarossa and other corsairs to which Forio was particularly exposed.

Composed of three floors covered by hemispherical vaults, the upper one lunette-shaped, the lower hall currently houses the Civic Museum of the Torrione and is used for temporary exhibitions after restorations carried out in the 1980s. The upper floor hosts the Giovanni Maltese Civic Museum, where sculptures and paintings left by the artist’s wife to the municipality are preserved.

Opening hours:

From January 1 to April 30
09:30 AM – 12:30 PM | 4:30 PM – 7:30 PM

From May 1 to September 30
09:30 AM – 12:30 PM | 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM

From October 1 to December 31
09:30 AM – 12:30 PM | 4:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Hours may be subject to change.