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 The
origins of Pozzallo, as a site of human installation, are rather
doubtful. Byzantine and Roman's traces are testified by the recovery
of ancient coins, dating from the 3rd through the 1st century b.C.
The
presence of sweet water wells on the territory rendered it an important
and obliged stop for ships. The term Pozzallo textually signifies
"sea-well".
During
the Arabian domination it became a refuge for the war equipped Arabian
galleys, called "Dromoni". Manfredi Chiaramonte ordered
here the construction of the already mentioned "Caricatore",
meant as a ship loading port as well as a central station with the
function of collecting all the "gabelle" (taxes), that
landlords owed to the Count.
Because
of continued assaults of pirates to the ships, Giovanni Cabrera,
after concession of King Alfonso di Aragona, commanded the construction
of a guarding and protective tower beside the "Caricatore",
right called "Torre Cabrera" (Cabrera's Tower).
The
works started in 1429; bounded by the sea and endowed of two metres'
thick walls, of loop-holes and an height of over thirty metres,
the tower was fundamental in pointing out any sign of danger to
the other postings.
Over
the years the Torre Cabrera and the Caricatore became more and more
important, at least as far as the terrible earthquake, in 1693,
totally razed Pozzallo. The tower was soon rebuilt and added of
a large embattled platform, sea-limited on three sides.
On
June 12th 1829 Francesco I di Borbone, King of Two Sicilies, decreed
Pozzallo autonomous municipality, thence no longer subordinated
to Modica.
Because
of the "gabelle" and pirates' extinctions, the importance
of the Torre and of the Caricatore decreased in the 19th century,
though the former was still used as a posting during the World War
I and represents today, as a symbol, the town.
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