Forte San Giovanni
Opening hours / Our location / Contacts / Events / History / Staff / Documents
| OPENING HOURS | TICKET |
|---|---|
|
April|May|June July|August September October and until November 5th |
free admission |
| OUR LOCATION | CONTACTS |
|---|---|
| Str. Beretta 17024 Finale Ligure SV |
drm-lig.fortesangiovanni@cultura.gov.it +39 019 9376 736 |
| DIRECTIONS AND PARKING | |
|---|---|
DIRECTIONS AND PARKING ACCESSIBILITY |
OUR HISTORY
The Fort is today, together with the fortress of Castelfranco, one of the best preserved examples of the defensive structures built by the Spanish Crown in the Finale area.
The fortification, designed by Francesco Prestino, a military engineer in the service of the State of Milan, took its final form in 1644. The ancient defensive tower of Becchignolo was incorporated into the construction, built thanks to the daily use of hundreds of men. medieval era. The position of Forte San Giovanni was strategic both to defend the roads connecting the hinterland, and to discourage any riots of the population: its imposing pincer walls, surmounted by hanging guardhouses, have dominated the panorama of Finalborgo for centuries.
The Fort was strengthened several times by the Spaniards during the seventeenth century but today of the initial construction only the southern part, overlooking the village, remains: in fact in 1713, when the Finale area passed under the Republic of Genoa, the Genoese dismantled the Fort’s artillery and they demolished some structures with the aim of rendering it unusable. In the following century, after a long period of neglect, the building was intended to house a women’s prison which was then abandoned in the first post-war period of the last century.
The Fort has undergone a careful restoration, completed in 1999, which has allowed to recover the ancient aspect of the Spanish Fort but has also preserved some elements related to the time in which the structure was a prison, such as the cell doors and the supports for straw mattresses.
Forte San Giovanni is today a site of the Ministry of Culture: open to the public since 2018 and hosts temporary exhibitions and events.
DISCOVER SAINT GIOVANNI FORTRESS
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| DIRECTIONS AND PARKING | |
|---|---|
| by car From the Finale Ligure motorway exit, at the roundabout take the second exit and continue on Strada di Gorra / SO490. At the roundabout, take the second exit and continue on SP 17. It is possible to park in the car park near Porta Testa (free; for a fee from April to September). The Fort can be reached with a walk of about 15 minutes. |
by train get off at Finale Ligure station. The Fort can be reached on foot for 30 minutes. |
| accessibility |
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| Being updated |