The town walls

the past served to defend the town from raids by Barbary pirates and attempts by the French to occupy the island. The walls, almost quadrangular and equipped with bastions and seven block houses, enclosed the entire portion of the territory known today as Castello (the Castle).
The fortifications were requested by the population from the King of Sardinia, Victor Emmanuel I, after the raid by Tunisian corsairs in September 1798 who enslaved almost a thousand inhabitants of the island. All that remains of the imposing fortification is a large part facing west, a short section to the north, three forts – Santa Cristina, Santa Teresa and Beatrice – and Portone del Leone (the Lion’s Gate), so called because of the lion’s head carved into the stone. These vestiges, now part of the urban fabric, bear witness to a time that was one of the most troubled for the island’s community and recall the strength of spirit with which the local population was able to react to the misfortune. The fear of new incursions made the enterprise a priority: work began on the defensive structure in 1806 and was completed in 1813, thanks to the commitment of the entire population of Carloforte.

Porta Leone (Lion Gate)

Walls of the Castello (castle) district, Cassinee in tabarkan language.

Fort Santa Teresa

La Torre San Vittorio

One of the most significant testimonies to the defensive works built in past centuries is Forte San Vittorio, named in honour of Victor Amadeus III, King of Sardinia. The ancient outpost, built to the south of the town, is easily reached from Via dei Battellieri, beyond the salt marsh, in the area known as Spalmadureddu, less than a kilometre from the town.
The construction of the fortress began in 1768, starting with the central tower, to which the three smaller towers were later added. At the end of the 19th century, the complex was expropriated by the Ministry of Education who, when prompted by the International Geodetic Commission, turned it into an Astronomy Station and privileged point for studying the precession of the equinoxes. In the 1970s, once this particular office was completed, the Fort was used as an observatory by the Institute of Astronomy of the University of Cagliari. Since April 2016, it has housed the Multimedia Museum dedicated to the history of San Pietro Island.

San Vittorio Tower