Forte Lorenese, Military fort in Forte dei Marmi, Italy

Forte Lorenese is a quadrangular complex of two adjoining buildings. The main rectangular block, once partly residential, is plastered and topped by a small bell gable above its four-pitched roof. Along one long side it abuts a brick-faced bastion with a battered base and a sentry terrace reached from the main building's raised floor.

The coastal fortification was built in the 18th century by the House of Lorraine, with defensive and observation functions along the northern coast of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, together with the twin forts of Castagneto and Bibbona (1788). It communicated by light signals with the Forte del Cinquale to the north and the Forte di Motrone to the south, both lost to World War II bombing. It later served as a marble warehouse, then as the Casa del fascio during the Fascist period, and now houses the Museo della satira e della caricatura.

The fort's name passed to the town that grew around it, Forte dei Marmi. Since 2007 the former fortino has housed the Museo della satira e della caricatura, dedicated to satirical drawing and caricature, after serving as the local Casa del fascio and then as the post office.

The fort stands in the town centre of Forte dei Marmi, a short walk from the seafront. The main building and the brick bastion are joined, and the sentry terrace is reached from the raised ground floor of the main block. The museum rooms occupy the former residential building.

The fortress served as both a military post and a storage facility for marble extracted from the neighboring Apuan Alps. This dual function made it a unique hub connecting military defense with raw material trade.