La Mulinaccio’s Tower is a coastal tower located in the municipality of Monte Argentario, near the hamlet of Porto Ercole.
The tower was built by the Spaniards in the late sixteenth century, with the initial purpose of controlling the inlet in which today stands the port of Cala Galera, not fully visible from the site where the nearby Forte Filippo stands. Later, around the defensive structure, a polygonal wall curtain was built to provide complete protection.
Considering its position on the promontory and its location between the precipice to the north and the most imposing fortress to the south, from where it was fully visible, it was decided to transform it into a windmill (which gave it its name), which was in full activity during the eighteenth century. Since then, the sighting functions took place inside the outdoor area enclosed by the curtain wall.
The windmill was definitively abandoned during the nineteenth century and, since then, the structure was abandoned.
The Torre del Mulinaccio is located just north-east of Forte Filippo, from which it is clearly visible.
The turriform structure, in the form of ruins, has a circular plan, with walls covered in stone and brick. Although of modest height, has the upper part almost completely collapsed, following the final abandonment of the windmill that was built there.
However, the transformation of the original coastal defensive structure into a mill led, at the time, to a modification of the original architectural elements that characterized it.