The Ligny Tower
The Tower of Ligny is an ancient bastion at the very tip of Trapani's city, in the western coast of Sicily island, Italy. It was Built in 1671 in order to defend the city from the incursions of the Turkish pirates. Claudio La Moraldo, Prince of Ligny acted on the Spanish king' s order to strengthen the city's fortifications.
At the end of 2009, the city of Trapani conceded the Ligny tower to the Euploia association who transformed it into a museum. The inside museum's collection includes some major archaeological underwater finds discovered in the stretch of sea which separates the city from the Egadi islands. Here, in 241 BC the battle of the Egadi Islands took place. It was the final naval battle of the First Punic War between Rome and Carthage.
There are many amphoras of Punic, Greek and Roman production. In this period, Trapani was an important port of call for trading ships. The amphoras were used to transport wine, oil, wheat, olives and salted fish. Three lithic anchors are part of it together with a sounding line. This last one is a tool for navigation and it was used to measure the sea depths in order to give precise indications of the coastline so to avoid dangerous submerged rocks.
Three bronze helmets are remarkable. The so-called Montefortino helmets were the most common headgears of war, used by the Roman legions. At last, the Rostrum, which is made of bronze and fixed thanks to the lost-wax technique. It was attached to the hull by means of nails, and consists of three horizontal blades, one above the other, reinforced by a strong vertical blade at their centre. It was a deadly instrument that was driven forcefully against the sides of the enemy ships. All along a symbol of the city of Trapani, the Tower of Ligny returned to its former glory. Not only a monument and a museum but also a place where you can admire the beautiful views and spectacular sunsets over the sea.
Follow Technorati