Corsica belongs to Genoa from the 13th to the 18th century. During the 16th century, Corsica is under repeated attacks from North African Barbary pirates, who would plunder villages and capture inhabitants to sell them as slaves. In response, Genoa orders the building of watch towers all along the coastline. The function of these “Genoese towers”, as they are called nowadays, was to warn the villagers of enemy ships approaching the coasts. By noticing smoke signals, the villagers would gain enough time to put themselves in a safe place with their valuable belongings.