Photo: Chabe01, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
At a glance
- Type
- Fortress / Tower
- Area
- 30 m²
- Protection
- Italian national heritage
- Coordinates
- 44°06′54″ N, 9°58′16″ E
- Address
- Via Alla Fortezza, 19038 Sarzana
History and description
The fortress of Sarzanello is a military fortification on the Sarzanello hill, near Sarzana, in province of La Spezia, Italy, above the Val di Magra. Since December 2014 it is managed by the Ministry of Culture.
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".
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 Luni had begun declining, and its inhabitants began migrating to the surrounding hills for safety. This expanded existing villages and started new villages (Nicola, Ortonovo, Castelnuovo Magra, Ameglia); the Sarzanello hill itself was populated by exiles who settled there around the Bishop's residence. A military structure on the hill is mentioned for the first time in 963, in a document from the Emperor Otto I; it grants the possession of six castra, including that of "de Sarzano", to the Diocese of Luni.
Between 1076 and 1080 it is referenced as the curtis of the emperor Frederick Barbarossa, and in 1191 as the curtis of Henry VI.
Between 1314 and 1328 the imperial vicar Castruccio Castracani was plenipotentiary of the area; he supposedly was the model for Niccolò Machiavelli "Prince". Any changes he made to the structure can no longer be discerned. In 1421 the Genoese Tomaso Fregoso ordered changes and restorations to the fortress; more were done until the Florentines 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, 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. 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.
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. …
Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Full article: «Fortezza di Sarzanello».
Photos
Getting there
SarzanaTrain, nearest
1.1 km as the crow flies
Fortezza di SarzanelloVia Alla Fortezza, 19038 Sarzana
Port6.7 km
Distances are as the crow flies, not walking or driving.
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Nearby
See on the mapMore fortresses and towers in Liguria
Frequently asked questions
Where is Fortezza di Sarzanello?
Fortezza di Sarzanello is in Sarzana, in the province of La Spezia (Liguria), Italy. Address: Via Alla Fortezza, 19038 Sarzana. GPS coordinates: 44.11508, 9.97115.
What else is there to see near Fortezza di Sarzanello?
Nearby you’ll find: Fortezza di Firmafede (600 m away), Teatro degli Impavidi (800 m away), Palazzo Roderio (900 m away).
Sources and licences
Text. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Data. Wikidata (CC0); opening hours and contacts OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Photos. Wikimedia Commons, author and licence on every image.
Credits for the 9 photos
- Forteresse Castracani - Sarzana (IT42) - 2022-08-28 - 10 — Chabe01, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fortezza di Sarzanello (Sarzana) - lati nord e ovest 2022-08-26 — Parma1983, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fortezza di Sarzanello (Sarzana) - lato nord 1 2022-08-26 — Parma1983, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Accesso alla Fortezza — Carlo grifone, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Che fortezza!!! — Cristina Maioglio, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Forte di Sarzanello, detto di Castruccio Castracani (xilografia) — Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
- 2011 cinque terre 084 — Stefano Sansavini, CC BY-SA 4.0
- DSC 9521.1 — Bukkia1990, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Forteresse Castracani - Sarzana (IT42) - 2022-08-28 - 1 — Chabe01, CC BY-SA 4.0
Updated 28 October 2026. All sources and licences