SANGALLO FORTRESS

SANGALLO FORTRESS (FORTE SANGALLO)
The construction of this Fortress was commissioned by Pope Alexander VI Borgia in view of strengthening the coastal defense system of the countryside south of Rome. The Pope appointed his son Cesare to oversee the execution of the work. Because of Cesare Borgia's reputation for the boldness of his politicai and military deeds, many historians regard him as the symbol of the Renaissance prince. The Fortress was built between 1501 and 1503 but there is not complete agreement on who the architect was who designed it, and the pian has been variously attributed to the Sangallos (Giuliano and Antonio the Elder) or to Francesco di Giorgio Martini. Though its creator remains a mystery, it is certain that at the time of the Fortress' construction it represented one of the most advanced examples of military architecture ever, a veritable sum total of all the technical stratagems capable of ensuring that the rock be impregnable. The massive square-plan structure had four heart-shaped bastions, and was surrounded by a rnoat on the three sides which did not face the sea.

During subsequent centuries the Fortress was restored and expanded several times as witnessed by the coat of arms of the Popes who promoted these works. In 1920 the Fortress was acquired by the baron Alberto Passini Camossi who transformed it into a luxurious private residence. Today, property of the City, the Fortress hosts interesting exhibitions and houses the City Antiquarium (Antiquarium Comunale), which exhibits palaeontological, palaeo-ethnological and archaeological finds collected in the area and is also the home of the Museum of the Allied Debarkation (Museo dello Sbarco Alleato). This museum displays to visitors precious documents, uniforms, and photographs of the period, as well as wartime material found in the zone of operations during the war.