After the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, the Barbary pirates continued to raid the Sicilian coastline.

Although the raid was unsuccessful, the population were afraid of further attacks and began fortifying the area.

[1] The Spanish (then the rulers of the Kingdom of Sicily) built the Fortezza del Tocco between 1592 and 1616.

Other nearby fortifications that were also built around the same time as the Fortezza del Tocco include the Torre Alessandrano, the Torre di Sant'Anna and the Garitta di S.

Its last guns were removed in 1834, and were taken to the Pinacoteca Zelantea de Acireale, where they remain today.