Tower and Tonnara of Cofano
The Tower and Tonnara di Cofano , called by the locals simply Torre Tono , is one of the most beautiful attractions of the Monte Cofano reserve .
The Tonnara del Cofano was one of the most important and fish-rich tuna traps in the Trapani area and remained active until the last years of the 19th century. Owned by the Bosco family since 1404, the activity of the tonnara reached its peak in the mid-sixteenth century, when Cosimo del Bosco stipulated in 1551, with the University of Monte San Giuliano, a concession contract to build a tower and the malfaragio, that is a complex of constructions for the tonnara.
The tower , which dates back to 1560, has a square stellar plan with four points and. A unique shape that is not found in other places in Sicily. It seems that the concave walls were built with the purpose of deflecting the cannonballs fired from the sea. On each side it is possible to notice a series of holes used to pour hot liquids against any enemies who tried to attack the tower.
The entrance door is only one and is very small, in order to limit possible attacks from the outside . Originally there must have been a wall surrounding the tower, of which there is no longer any trace.
Inside, the tower is divided into two levels. The ground floor consists of a single room and in its floor there is the opening of a cistern dug into the rock. On the upper floor there are two other rooms.
On the shore in front of the tower you can see consistent traces of an ancient factory for the processing of fish. A rectangular basin carved into the rock is also visible, as well as numerous regular carvings constituting the residue of as many fish processing basins now eroded by the sea, dating back to the IV-III century BC. C ..
About 500 meters from the coast, right in front of the Tonnara tower, stands the Scialandro rock . One of the many hypotheses locates in this stretch of sea, between the tower and the rock, the legendary games of Aeneas narrated in the fifth book of Virgil's Aeneid.
