Forte Richelieu, Military fortress in Camaldoli hills, Genoa, Italy
Forte Richelieu is a military fortification in the Camaldoli hills with a rectangular layout that includes a two-story barracks building and bastioned walls. The site has multiple artillery positions positioned to overlook the Quezzi and Sturla valleys below.
Spanish engineer Jacques de Sicre began construction in 1747, naming the fortress after Marshal Armand du Plessis de Richelieu during Genoa's Austrian siege. Later it served as a detention facility for prisoners of war from Central Europe.
The fortress displays inscriptions and markings from its construction period that reflect its builders' identity. Visitors can see these 18th-century traces in the courtyards and understand how the site functioned when first built.
The fortress is best reached via Nicolò Copernico street using public transportation or through a military road descending from nearby Forte Monteratti. The hilltop location offers good views across the valleys but visitors should expect uneven terrain.
After World War I, the fortress was repurposed in the 1950s as a broadcast transmission site, giving it an entirely new function. This transformation shows how military structures were adapted for civilian use in the modern era.
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