The beautifully restored Collelungo fortress tower in the Maremma National Park. This is exactly what the invading Saracen pirates would have seen from the dunes, one of the extensive network of watchtowers and fortresses along the coast built first by the Aldobrandeschi, inherited by the Republic of Siena when it expanded to the sea in the 12th century, and rebuilt by the Medici in the 16th.

The towers were used for communication between troops along the coast and between towns, and as defensive battlements. They fought Saracens and Barbary pirates for centuries, along with Papal forces, the Spanish, and the French. As a protected archeological site, it’s not open to the public, but you can walk up to and around it on one of the park’s many trails and paths.