According to the historian Pecci, this tower has almost fallen down and was built immediately after the one of Castelmarino, which is in front of it towards the west. It has almost disappeared (1). The author Nicolosi confirmed this in one of his documents, in which he wrote that it was older than Castelmarino and in its vicinity 2 ( in the original Italian: “ che costitui’ la prossima e piu’ antica di Castelmarino 2). The building typology of the tower corresponds, in fact, to the typology of the towers of the sixteenth century of the area. They were square shaped: the walls were built with local stones to create mixed patches with slightly squared angular patterns. It would have normally been plastered with the typical mixture of lime mortar and pozzuolana, as characterised by all the local fortifications of which no trace is left. Before the recent restoration work, the tower was without a roof, having largely been destroyed by lightening and the weather agents. Still visible, though, were the horizontal loopholes above the foundations and the entrance door framed by ashlars in squared stone. The large slabs above, among which there were the embrasures and which were formed by blocks of rounded stones, were supporting the perimeter walls of the covering roof. As can clearly be seen from the drawing by Warren, the pavilion roof was leaning onto the walls. The flight of stairs for the access, which could be found outside the building, was almost completely destroyed.
The tower was mentioned in the works by Simone Genga, as De Vita affirms 3, and was among the fortifications described by Warren during his visit in 1749 (a.d.).
As Warren’ s report has been considered more useful than any other description regarding the knowledge of the towers and the different types of life which were led in these outposts, an integral passage from the above mentioned reports is cited:
The tower of Collelungo is the second in Tuscany to be positioned Westwards of the Ombrone river. It is situated at around thirty ells above sea level. At the top of the tower there is a place used to light the signal fire in order to warn the inhabitants of the Isle of Giglio ( Isola del Giglio) to come and get the orders from dry land. This sign would only happen during the night. This tower is two miles away from Caladiforno tower, three miles from Alberese and ten miles from Grosseto. This tower is squared and built like that of Cala di Forno, but it has not been possible to establish the period in which it was built. In the vicinities there is a beach where the projectiles can reach.
This part of the coast is often frequented by fishermen from Naples ( Napoli) who here have nine shacks, which they use as houses: they provide the two cities of Sienna ( Siena ) and Volterra with their fresh fish. By the bottom of the tower there is a little area composed by two rooms and a furnace for the sole use of the Castellan. He has a garden and a vineyard to produce twenty barrels of wine. The water is collected from the Uccellina Fountain in a wood located at about two miles from the tower, and at the top of the mountains. This was a rather inconvenient location for the provision of a gunner .
In the tower there is only a Castellan and a Gunner, the first on the first floor, while the second floor was used by the Gunner. They would both dine in Alberese, which is two miles away.
The artillery consisted of a firecracker for signalling, some rifles, some bayonets and other munitions. This tower is ten miles away from Grosseto 4 ( in the original Italian:
La torre di Collelungo e’ la seconda dependente della Toscana che sia allevante del fiume Ombrone, questa e’ situata sopra un’altezza di circa trenta braccia sopra il livello del mare. All’alto della torre vi e’ un focolare sopra al quale si accendono delle fascine per avvisare gli abitanti dell’ isola del Giglio di venire a prendere gli ordini di terra ferma e questo segnale si da sempre all’entrata della notte. Essa e’ distante due miglia da Cala di Forno, tre miglia dall’Alberese, e dieci da Grosseto.
Questa torre e’ quadrata e fatta come quella di Cala di Forno, non e’ stato possible di rin-venire il tempo nel quale fu fabbricata.
Non v’e’ nei contorni che una spiaggia dove si tirano le filunghe che vi approdano alla distanza di un colpo di fucile.
Non vengono in questi contorni che dei pescatori napoletani che vi anno nove capanne di sarmenti lungo la spiaggia che loro servono di abitazione essi mandano il pesce che prendono a Siena e a Volterra.
Vi e’ vicino al piede di questa torre un piccolo quartiere composto di due stanze e un forno, il tutto per l’uso del Castellano che ha ancora un giardino ed una vigna che puo’ pro-durre venti barili di vino.
Si va a prender l’acqua ad una fonte chiamata Luccellina in un bosco situato a due mi-glia distante dalla torre, e che e’ alla sommita’ di un monte, cio’ che rende questa provvigione difficile al Cannoniere che e ‘ avvezzo a farla.
Non vi e’ che un Castellano e un Cannoniere, il primo occupa il primo piano, il secondo e’ per il Cannoniere, vanno questi alla mensa all’Alberese che ne e’ distante di due miglia.
L’artiglieria consiste in un pezzo di Quattro libbre ed uno di due libbre, un mortaretto per i segnali, delle spingarde, alcuni fucili, dell’armi bianche, delle munizioni. Questa torre e’ distante miglia dieci da Grosseto 4).
In another drawing, similar to the one by Warren , although more recent 5, the entrance road is also sketched. A third drawing, now kept by ISCAG, follows faithfully the previous ones 6.
The building at the side of the tower and mentioned in a previous report, is still in existence, although almost destroyed. What remains is only the lower part of the structure. There is no trace, instead, of the little chapel, which was also part of the complex and mentioned by Pecci.
In 1757 a little chapel was built next to the tower of Collelungo and similarly with squared stones: in this chapel the holy mass was celebrated in winter for the fishermen 7 ( In the original Italian : La Torre di Colle Lungo, parimente di pietre quadre, quivi nel 1757 fu, fabbricata una Cappellina, in cui si celebrava l’Inverno ogni Festa la Messa per comodo de’ Pescatori ).
This tower was among the many defensive buildings documented by Pietro Conti in 1793 on the orders of Ferdinand ( Ferdinando) m due to the impelling necessity to reinforce the defences of the coast 8.
It also seemed that in 1787 the construction of a small building by the side of the main one and of a cistern was approved to make the stay of the garrison more comfortable.
In this publication, there is also the documentation of five floors of the tower which were used by the Lieutenant , Castellan and the soldiers.
In the maps of the 1823 Leopold’s Land Registry (Catasto Leopoldino), kept in the Grosseto State Archives ( Archivi di Stato di Grosseto), at the section M of Grosseto Community ( Comunita’ di Grosseto), the tower, the building next to it, and the little chapel are pointed out. The map was drawn up by the land-surveyor Luigi Banti.
From the indicative tables of the same Land Registry it is known that the complex was the property of the Regie Fabbriche and that all the buildings had to be kept in a good state or they would have been labelled as falling into disrepair.
By referring to the quotations we find:
Heading 328 corresponding to the tower of Collelungo and heading 329 corresponding to the church
Heading 330 corresponding to the house
Lightning struck on the 31st of August 1847 and destroyed the whole complex 9. From several documents found in Florence State Archives ( Archivio di Stato di Firenze) it is pointed out that the lighting struck the powder-magazine located on the covering terrace. This therefore set off the explosion of the powder there contained: as a consequence the covering roof blew up and this made the vault collapse, which was supporting the battery, and damaged the perimeter walls. The bricks of the vault in proximity of the slabs are still visible in the pictures taken from the air.
The fallen materials made the access to the lower levels impossible, destroyed the bridge, and partly the access flight of stairs, damaging the roofs of the new rooms external to the tower ( perhaps they refer to the little new buildings constructed in 1787).
The majority of the artillery was also destroyed, while all the members of the garrison remained luckily unhurt. At that time a Corporal, eight Gunners, and two Light Cavalrymen were settled there instead of the Castellan and Gunner, as it used to be during Warren’s time.
The restoration work of the building, at this very moment suspended for lack of funds, was re-established in 1848 because it was indispensable for the defence of that part of the coast that goes from the river Ombrone to Cala di Forno.
It is likely that the planned expenses in 1849 were never sustained. This is demonstrated by the fact that no restoration work was carried out in the tower.
From this last document another important element is pointed out, which is the fortification surrounded by compacted earth, as the paving was considered unnecessary. As this tower was used as a defensive building, it was facing the sea and located on that part of the ground which gently goes down to create a slope: this particular way in which the tower was positioned could have contributed to its destruction. |
