Castello di Vernazza

The most recognizable feature of Castello Doria is the high, cylindrical Belforte Tower, which rises from the center of an esplanade atop a seventy-meter-high rocky promontory. This fortress, built upon a site used for defense since the eleventh century, was commissioned by the Republic of Genoa to secure this stretch of the Ligurian coast. Its thick stone walls and lookout positions were designed to monitor maritime traffic and provide early warning signals against pirates or enemy fleets.