As we continue our walk along the rampart walk, in the shadow of the ancient ramparts, the stones reveal ever more secrets. And then suddenly, around a bend in the path, it appears: the Tower of San Giovanni, sober and imposing, watching over the city for nearly fifteen centuries.
Dating from the 6th century, this "Byzantine" tower bears witness to the time when Terracina was part of the strategic fortifications of the Tyrrhenian coast. Its simple yet robust architecture, emerging from among the trees and old stones, evokes a distant past filled with watchfulness, silence, and resistance.
Today, peaceful and silent, the Tower of San Giovanni still seems to watch over the historic center, offering walkers an unexpected journey to the heart of the city's ancient roots.
However, the Tower of San Giovanni in Terracina does not appear to be a Byzantine construction from the 6th century, but rather a later medieval one.
According to historical sources, the walls of Terracina feature Byzantine and medieval towers dating back to the ancient Roman curtain wall, or Volsci, adopting a "polygonal" style similar to those of Constantinople. However, the Torre di San Giovanni is not among the oldest Byzantine remains from the 6th century.
It typically dates from the 12th–13th centuries, in the middle of the medieval period, when the city was part of the Papal States and was developing fortifications adapted to the defensive needs of the time.
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