The promontory of Saturo ceased to be permanently inhabited with the definitive abandonment of the Roman villa, probably at the beginning of the VII century A.D. In the XVI century A.D., a watchtower was built above the site of the ancient villa to defend the locals against attacks by pirates. These were mostly coming from North Africa that at the time was subject to the authority of the Ottoman Empire. The tower of Saturo was part of a defensive system structured as a network of towers along the entire Salento coast: their main function, other than defence, was to light fires and signal the arrival of enemies, transmitting the alarm from one tower to another and to the inland settlements.

The tower has a truncated-pyramidal base and is covered in more or less regular tufa ashlars. Prior to the recent restorations, the stones were plastered and painted with lime. The tower has a single room, located at a height of approximately 5 metres, covered by a curved vault (of the “schifo” or “gavita” type). From the room it was possible to access the terrace through an internal staircase made out in the north-east wall. The south-east façade presents one of the original openings of the tower and the remains of three machicolations (also known as “murder holes”, i.e. structures protruding from a wall and equipped with trapdoors, useful for throwing projectiles, stones or other materials on the attackers).  Two buildings were added to the original structure in modern times. Prior to their removal during the restoration works, they were used until the mid-XX century.

Over time, the strategic importance of the promontory of Saturo has favoured military fortification interventions on the coast, especially during World War Two. A casemate and a reinforced concrete bunker-lighthouse were built near the tower, destroying a part of the portico of the Roman villa.