✅ It was in charge of watching the arrival of enemy ships to the south coast of the island.
✅ It is the only Formentera defense tower to which entry is allowed.
✅ It was restored in 2016 by local architect Marià Castelló.
The old Camí Vell de La Mola, in the section that connects the towns of Sant Francesc and Sant Ferran, runs, asphalted and parallel to the main road.
Drive along this section of road and, approximately in the middle of it, you will find a detour in the direction of the sea with a sign indicating the Torre des Pi des Català.
Continue along it, with caution, since it is a paved road until you reach the beach.
Once there, you will be able to make out behind you, on a hill and among the pines, the silhouette of the Torre des Pi des Català.
Now you only have to walk to it.
The Torre des Pi des Català, like the rest of the defense towers of Formentera, were located on the ground by the then captain general of the Balearic Islands, Francisco de Paula Bucarelli y Ursúa and, in the case of this tower, under the direction of the military engineer José García Martínez between the years 1762 and 1763.
Of the four defense towers on Formentera, the Torre des Pi des Català is the furthest from the coastline, and this is due to the characteristics of the terrain in this part of Formentera.
As in the rest of the defense towers of Formentera, its body is frustoconical, it has two floors, and also an access to the roof of the same where, in its beginnings, there was a sentry box and a parapet.
The original access door is located on the first floor, but the circumstances of the 20th century led to the opening of a hole in the ground floor of the same, which, after its restoration, became an access door.
Between 2009 and 2015, the project to recover and restore the tower was carried out, which was in a terrible state of conservation and was the victim of constant vandalism with accumulations of garbage, graffiti on its walls and the presence of elements constructive that denigrated the history of this defense tower of Formentera.
The local architect, Marià Castelló, commissioned by the Consell Insular de Formentera, carried out the project to recover the Torre des Pi des Català, incorporating construction materials that clearly show the interventions carried out in the 21st century.
As more significant data, it should be noted that the hole made at the time, on the ground floor of the tower, is now the main access to the construction and is framed in corten steel that clearly differentiates the construction intervention carried out.
The rehabilitation carried out and completed in 2016 allowed that, since then, the Torre des Pi des Català was the only one of Formentera’s defense towers that can be visited inside.
A magical walk inside an 18th century building with modernist architectural details that have been the reason for praise, recognition and awards among the world of architecture.
Visiting hours vary during the year, so it is best to contact the cultural area of the Consell Insular de Formentera to make sure that you will find open access that day at that time.
I’m Ramón Tur, the person behind everything written and photographed on this website about Formentera. I discovered the island in 1972 when my parents, aboard the mythical Joven Dolores, took me on vacation from Ibiza for the first time, and it was love at first sight that has only grown stronger over time, making Formentera my place of residence for many years now. If you wish, you can follow me on Instagram @4mentera.com_
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