Fortress of Sarzanello

Fortezza di Sarzanello
Part of Castelli della Val di Magra
Sarzana, Liguria, in Italy
Ravelin of the fortress
Fortezza di Sarzanello Show map of Liguria Fortezza di Sarzanello Show map of Italy
Coordinates	44°06′54″N 9°58′16″E / 44.1151°N 9.9712°E / 44.1151; 9.9712
Site information
Operator	Comune di Sarzana
Open to the public	yes
Condition	Well preserved

The fortress of Sarzanello is a military fortification on the Sarzanello hill, near

.

Description

The fortress has "three squat circular towers" that do not come up higher than the walls, a "central square tower, and a triangular protobastion".[1]

Two distinct building elements are visible:

• the castle proper, the main part of the fortification, has a triangular plan with three bastions at the top;
• a huge ravelin in the form of a triangular fortified embankment opposite the castle, to which it is connected by a bridge.

Access to the fortress is by crossing the stone bridge, which crosses the wide and deep fortified moat.

History

As early as the 4th century

.

Between 1076 and 1080 it is referenced as the curtis of the emperor Frederick Barbarossa, and in 1191 as the curtis of Henry VI.

From Castruccio Castracani to the Genoese Republic

Between 1314 and 1328 the imperial vicar

took over.

Lorenzo de' Medici had the city fortified and erected the citadel—after first destroying its predecessor—updating the structure for modern warfare. After having fortified the city, erecting the Fortezza Firmafede (the city's citadel), having previously destroyed it,^[2] the Medici decided to transform the old fortress on the hill and adapt it to the new war needs. The architects Francesco di Giovanni and Luca del Caprina designed the new structure which completely replaced the previous one.^{[citation needed]} It was not yet finished when in 1494, two years after the death of Lorenzo, his son Piero the Unfortunate handed it over to the French.^[3]

Once the construction of the fortress with its three roundels was completed, construction of the ravelin began, which probably incorporated the ancient tower of the castrum. This new structure protected the entrance to the fortress and prevented this side from being hit by artillery from the hill to the south-east, a place called the Fortino, where another line of defense was soon set up. When that was done the fortress reached its current state.

From Napoleon to today

In 1747, during the

led by German general Wocter, unsuccessfully tried to take the fortress. Since the nearby town of Sarzanello had provided aid to the Austrians, the government of Genoa ordered the demolition of the 120 houses that made up the village, including the ancient church. In 1748, the inhabitants were forced to move to the southernmost area, the new Sarzanello.

Access

There is a third access road and is represented by a pedestrian walkway called the Montata di Sarzanello, recommended to tourists for its scenery. The hill can be walked from Via San Francesco.

References

Further reading

• Bonatti, Franco; Ratti, Marzia (1991). Sarzana. Sagep Editrice.
• OCLC 838852177
  .
• Stratta, Fabio; Ugo, Ugolini (2004). Fortezza di Sarzanello: su una terra di confine. Sagep Editrice.

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