Built during the 16th century to remedy the deviation of the river following a disastrous flood, it was first used as a customs office and a lookout and defense station, then as a lighthouse for the Ostia Seaplane Base, until it fell into disuse after the end of World War II.

[2] After a disastrous flood, which occurred on 15 September 1557, the course of the Tiber changed radically near Ostia Antica, causing the fall into disuse of the castle of Julius II, which had been used until then as the seat of papal customs.

Fearing of an incursion from the sea, Pope Pius IV ordered a revision of the coastal defense system, entrusting the task to the architect Francesco Laparelli; he fortified the medieval Tor Boacciana, which became the temporary seat of the customs offices, promoted the maintenance of the fortress and planned the construction of a tower near the mouth of the river.

The project was entrusted to Michelangelo (even if not all scholars agree in this attribution); the works for the construction of the tower began in 1559 and were completed in 1568 under the supervision of Nanni di Baccio Bigio, who took over after the death of his master in 1564.

The doorway, the only wooden element, is raised about 4 metres (13 ft) from the ground and was initially accessible via a drawbridge, then replaced by a fixed bridge already in place at the time of Guglielmotti's visit in 19th century.