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La torre des Pi des Català becomes island's first visitable tower, inside and out

torre pi catala3This Friday, a process of certification made official the end of restoration work at the tower known as la torre des Pi des Català. The monument, which shares its name with the neighbourhood that surrounds it, is located a stone's throw from the Migjorn beach. Work at the site ran a total cost of €170,603, which was met in part by funding from the regional programme Leader.

With restoration complete, the tower becomes the first of its kind on Formentera whose inner chambers can be visited. Supporters of the project hailed the decision to leave intact the original structure—which dates back to the second half of the eighteenth century—along with the architectural features employed at the time of building.

Plans for the reform were authored by the architect Marià Castelló, while archaeological monitoring of the project was overseen by Maria José Escandell. Refoart Ltd, a company specialising in historical patrimony, was at the helm of on-site operations.

La torre des Pi des Català is a monument declared bé d'interès cultural (BIC)—cultural heritage site—and included in Formentera's catalogue of cultural patrimony as a site with level A protection. In May 2012 and at no cost, the state ceded the land upon which the tower sits to the Formentera Council, in compliance with the law on patrimony and municipalities ('ley del patrimonio de las administraciones públicas').