Torre Atalayola

The Torre Atalayola stands on the cape of Santa Pola, at the edge of the cliff, about a hundred metres above the sea. It is a coastal defence tower built in 1552 on the orders of Philip II, part of the network of watchtowers designed under the military engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli to warn of Barbary pirate raids along the Mediterranean coast.

From watchtower to lighthouse

It has a square plan, battered (sloped) walls and horizontal gun-slits cut into the masonry, with reinforced ashlar corners, a design repeated in other towers nearby, such as those of Escaletes and Tamarit, of which only three now survive within the Santa Pola municipal boundary. Its clear view over the bay is why, in 1858, the lighthouse that still operates today was built on top of it, folding the old defence tower into the base of the modern structure.

The Barbary threat that led to its construction lasted more than two centuries along this coast, well into the 18th century.

The exterior can be visited freely; from around the lighthouse, most of the Gulf of Santa Pola opens up, with the island of Tabarca visible on the horizon on clear days. It ranks among the best viewpoints in the area, close to the harbour and the Santa Pola salt flats, which stretch out on the other side of the cape.

The visit pairs well with a walk to the Castillo-Fortaleza in the centre of Santa Pola, and with the Museo del Mar, which explains the coastal warning system this tower belonged to. Late afternoon is the best time to come up: the lighthouse sits backlit over the Mediterranean, and the walk out to the cape avoids the heat of midday.