Aquilla Tower, Pučišća

By the sea, on the northern side of the harbour in Pučišća on the island of Brač, stands a tower belonging to the Aquilla family. The construction of such a defensive house on the coast recalls the time when noble families themselves protected their estates and the harbour.

The tower was built at the end of the 15th century by the family mentioned. The building has a square plan with two floors, and at its base it has a scarp, that is, a sloping wall, separated from the straight masonry by a torus-shaped cornice. The entrance is on the northern side, on the upper floor, where the remains of the mechanism for lowering the door can be seen. Above it is the family coat of arms with an eagle holding a snake in its beak. On the wall face, loopholes and vent openings have been preserved, and near the top is a row of triple brackets that once carried a defensive parapet.

The tower is a protected cultural property and is entered in the Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia under the code Z-3825. It is located in Split-Dalmatia County.

Photo: Argo Navis, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Data: Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia (Ministry of Culture and Media), Open Licence; coordinates: DGU (centre of the settlement).