During the Ottoman wars, over a period of more than 200 years, the villagers in the Dalmatian hinterland lived in constant fear of raids. It’s not unusual, driving around the mountain areas, to come across defensive towers built to protect settlements. Towers were often built in strings, creating a network of defences. The tower in Gornja Podaca dates from the 17th century, it is half-ruined and is surrounded by houses abandoned after the 1962 earthquake.