Santa Maria Tower
| Chris Caravella's Virtual
Tour of Ustica
Santa Maria Tower |
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The Santa Maria Tower is one of four Bourbon fortresses built on the island in the 1760's to protect the residents from invasion by pirates. It sits high atop the southwestern edge of the city. Currently, the tower houses the archeological museum. Housed in the museum are artifacts from the excavation at Faraglioni and from shipwreck sites off of the southern coast. The museum has a huge range of artifacts. There are plates, ceramic tables, all kinds of jugs and jars, lead anchor pieces, lamps, abicus beads, obsidian knives and much more. There is a huge jar that was made from two separate pieces bound together through holes surrounding the seams. While most pieces are simple ceramics, there are also some very ornate lamps and plaques. This is only a fraction of the artifacts found in Ustica. Many more are housed in museums in Palermo. The lower quarters of the tower houses bulk items and an area for restoring and cleaning artifacts. This area served as the torture chamber in days past and still contains some of the original "racks" which are now just used as tables. |
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The jugs laying on their sides were made to be fitted into holes in the wooden timbers of ships for easy and safe transportation. |
The circular designs on the neck of this plate are unique to those found on Ustica. |
The extreme number of jars is an indication of the importance of trade to the bronze age community. |
[Panorama] [Welcome] [Map] [Faraglioni] [Falconiera] [Culunnedda] [Baseball Field] [Santa Maria Tower] [The City] [Spalmatore] [The Grottos] [The Old Town] [The Cemetery] [The Back Dock] [Tramontana] [Pass of the Madonna] [Chapel of San Bartolicchio] [Geology of Ustica] [Plan a Trip]