Santa Tecla Fort
Opening hours / Our location / Contacts / Events / History / Staff / Documents
| OPENING HOURS | TICKETS |
|---|---|
|
from 5th april-18th june 2023 wednesday-sunady 10am-1pm and 3pm-6pm |
€ 5 general admission*
* ticket cost variation based on Legislative Decree 1 June 2023, No. 61 |
| OUR LOCATION | CONTACTS |
|---|---|
| Giardini Vittorio Veneto 34 18038 Sanremo IM |
drm-lig.fortesantatecla@cultura.gov.it +39 010 2710278 |
OUR HISTORY
Fort Santa Tecla was built in 1755-1756, on a project by Giacomo De Sicre and Alberto Medoni and by order of the Republic of Genoa, not for defensive purposes but to “keep an eye on the inhabitants of Sanremo”. The initiative was taken following the popular uprising of 1753, triggered by Genoa’s decision to separate Sanremo from La Colla.
The rioters, after having disarmed the soldiers and imprisoned the Commissioner Giuseppe Doria and his family, had not find an agreement with the neighbouring cities and received no support from Savoy and had ended up surrendering to General Agostino Pinelli, deceived by an alleged act of clemency of Genoa. A harsh repression followed with arrests and death sentences, taxes and confiscation of property, abuse, violence and humiliation.
Pinelli himself, unscrupulous and ruthless in the surrender negotiations and then in the city government, proposed the construction of a fortress in Genoa to tame the rebellious population. His successor F. Maria Sauli, equally tough and aggressive, approved the project of the fort and, before leaving the city government, in 1754 ordered the demolition of the thirteen houses taking place in Pian di Nava to make way for the new construction, saving however the Torre della Marina, built in 1563 as part of the coastal defence system, which would have been incorporated into the fort.
Gaetano Doria, Sauli’s successor, laid the first stone of the fort on July, 6th 1755, but the Sanremesi deserted the ceremony, thus going in procession to the hermitage of San Romolo and refused to cooperate in the construction of the fortress. Workers were brought in from outside and the building materials arrived by sea from Civitavecchia. The stones of the ancient La Pigna Castle (9th century) placed on the top of the coast were also used, which the Saulis had demolished in 1754 to weaken the city’s defences.
The fort, with a triangular plan and bastioned on the vertices, is a typical example of military architecture of the 18th century, one of the few remaining intact of the Ligurian coast. It is spread into three floors: the ground floor includes the Commander’s quarters, the warehouses, the chapel and the cistern; the first floor includes the sergeant and chaplain’s quarters, the garrison quarters and the powder magazine; on the second floor houses accommodation for two captains, a quarter for soldiers, the warehouses and the batteries, two facing the land and one facing the sea. The fort’s potential was 16 pieces of artillery, arranged on the front bulwarks, and another 5 smaller ones on the rear bastion. The military contingent at the time consisted of two companies of 40 men each.
The Fort of Santa Tecla still played its role in the Napoleonic period, as part of the coastal defensive system as some artillery pieces were placed there.
After 1815, with the annexation of Liguria to the Kingdom of Sardinia, the fort was used as a barracks while remaining a symbol of the firmness and authority of Genoa on the Riviera di Ponente.
In 1864 during the unification period, the fort was transformed into a judicial prison, while still preserving the original structure intact.
Since 1997, with the construction of the new Prison in Armea Valley, the fort was finally freed from an improper use, determining the conditions for the restoration and enhancement of the important complex – on a project by the Superintendece for the architectural heritage and for the landscape of Liguria – aimed at opening up to the public and promoting a series of cultural activities.
In 2021, an agreement was signed with the Municipality of Sanremo for the management of the site.
TO PROPOSE EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
SUGGESTIONS AND COMPLAINTS
Your opinion is important to improve our services | FORM
DOCUMENTS
| DIRECTIONS AND PARKING | |
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| by car From the Arma di Taggia motorway exit, take Via Beglini, SS1bis and SS 1 in the direction of Sottopasso Croce Rossa and Corso Nazario Sauro (15 minutes). It is possible to park for a fee at the car park in Giardini Via Vittorio Veneto (2 minutes on foot) |
From the Sanremo Est motorway exit take Via Solaro Rapalin and Strada Solaro in the direction of Corso degli Inglesi. Follow SS 1 to Via Nino Bixio and and Corso Nazario Sauro (12 minutes). It is possible to park for a fee at the car park in Giardini Via Vittorio Veneto (2 minutes on foot). |
| by train get off at Sanremo station. The Fort can be reached on foot for 15 minutes. |
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| accessibility | |
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| Being updated. | |