Telegrafo Ottico

The Optical Telegraph of Pastrengo is located between the Leopold and Nugent forts. The telegraph was initially of the Chappe type, owned by the municipality of Pastrengo. It was built in 1865 on the summit of Mount S. Martino (263m. a.s.l.), mostly in brick, with a base made of worked stone blocks and with a diameter of about 12 meters and a height of 8 and a half. Designed by Andreas Tunkler von Treuimfeld, it was used to transmit signals to the Castelvecchio station in Verona and to the transmitter at the top of the Telegraph on Monte Baldo. Its hexagonal structure, with circular openings, indicated the corresponding stations of the optical telegraphic network. The tower, a rare example of 19th-century military architecture, testifies to the historical phase of optical telegraphy before the advent of electric telegraphy. The second floor of the tower was constructed with 4 porthole openings on each side, which were used to communicate with other stations. Communication during the day occurred through the placement of dark and light panels on the white walls of the structure. The system was operated from the inside using cranks and ropes that changed the visibility of the panels, either obscuring them or leaving them visible. The aim was to create combinations related to the Morse alphabet. At night, a different system was used based on oil lamps that transmitted the light signal from the inside of the circular openings of the structure, still based on the Morse system, through which it was possible to read dots or lines.