The Punta Penna tower is a square coastal tower on the promontory of the same name, in Vasto. The decision to build it dates from 1563, in the time of the viceroy Pedro Afán de Ribera, and the work was finished in 1569: it is one of the coastal towers of the Kingdom of Naples. It faces the Adriatic, in a strategic position in front of the inlet that holds the port of Vasto, and was in visual contact with the Trigno tower, at San Salvo, and the Sinello tower, at Casalbordino.
What to see
The tower measures twelve metres on each side and is built of brick, with the outside completely plastered. It has an opening on each side; on the south side there are two entrances, one on the ground floor and one on the first floor, reached by a masonry staircase in two flights.
The roof was restored in 1977. On the same promontory are the Punta Penna lighthouse and the church of Santa Maria di Pennaluce.
Visiting
The tower is still used by the Italian Navy as a radar monitoring base: it is seen from outside, and any access should be checked.
Our editors' tip
The towers on this stretch of coast spoke to each other by sight: from here the signal passed north to the Sinello tower and south to the Trigno tower. The Punta Aderci nature reserve, which begins right at the mouth of the Sinello, reaches as far as the port below the tower.
