Torre Normanna di Girifalco

The Norman Tower of Girifalco is a place of historical interest, located in the area of the same name in the town of Torella dei Lombardi.

Surrounded by a wood of centuries-old Turkey oaks, the tower was built in the 12th century as a defensive structure for the medieval village of Girifalco, whose name derives from the German term geirfalk, or "highly predatory hawk", a clear reference to the wildlife found in the surrounding landscape.  
The Norman Tower of Girifalco fulfilled its defensive function until the first half of the 15th century, when it was heavily damaged by earthquakes in 1456 and 1466. Following these cataclysmic events, the entire village was abandoned, as evidenced by a certificate from 1649, written by Ferdinand I of Aragon, in which it was referred to as a "destroyed and uninhabited land". Over the centuries, the tower also underwent a change in its intended use, becoming a residence and even a storage building for agricultural tools: this required the construction of an "off-axis" door in relation to the original entrance, located on the second level.

Despite this, the Norman Tower of Girifalco has kept the typical characteristics of Norman military architecture intact until the present day, an architectural style whose special features were designed to meet the control and defensive needs of the region. With a quadrangular plan, it has architectural elements using Roman-age spolia, following a structure that probably consisted of about three floors, which were originally four and of which one has completely collapsed. 

Considered the oldest monument in Torella dei Lombardi, the Norman Tower of Girifalco stands in a wonderful naturalistic setting, resisting the weather and the inexorable passing of time.