A large tower, the largest of the sixteen that in the eighteenth century defended the village lying along the western coast of the island, the most exposed to aggression from the sea. And also the oldest: built by the Municipality of Forio in 1480, when the continuous raids of the Saracens gave the population no respite. Built on a tuff spur near the sea and in the centre of the town, its circular shape was ideal for ensuring the best view from all sides and for making best use of the four bronze cannons with which it was equipped.
It is the main monument of Forio, the Torrione, and one of the most important on the entire island. Painted by artists of every era, photographed by image professionals and tourists from all over the world, it preserves unchanged the ancient charm of the imposing stone structure, overlooking the beauty of the historic centre and the sea. And it holds other beauty within it with the works of the greatest and most multifaceted Forian artist of the twentieth century, Giovanni Maltese.
An external staircase, with stone steps worn by time, leads to the second floor of the tower. In the large circular room with Pompeian red walls it is as if time had stopped a century ago. When Maltese passed away on 21 August 1913, his beloved wife of English origin, Giovanna Fairer, wanted to safeguard his artistic legacy in the studio where statues and portraits had taken shape and in which he had composed his brilliant and witty poetic collections in dialect, “Cerrenne” and “'Ncrocchie”.
Although already endowed with charm due to its architectural characteristics, the history of the fortress/refuge of which it is part, the magnificent landscape that imposes itself beyond the large window, the studio is especially striking for the quantity of extraordinary works that populate it. The sculptures, even large ones, are scattered in every corner of the room. All creations of notable impact, which tell the story of the artist's world, witnesses of an era of Forio and the island whose profound soul Maltese was able to read and interpret. And on the walls the paintings, especially portraits of his contemporaries, which reveal the mastery of the pictorial technique supporting a great talent.
That room was Maltese's creative place since 1885, when, after having studied and worked for years between Naples, Rome and Paris, he obtained the Torrione in emphyteusis from the Municipality of Forio. And in the room adjacent to the study he lived for twenty-eight years, first alone, then with his wife, of English origin, married in 1900. Today those rooms house the Maltese Museum, while the room on the first floor of the Torrione hosts art exhibitions and cultural meetings.
