Forte Tortagna, Military fort in Calizzano, Italy

Forte Tortagna is a polygonal fort on a hill south of and above the Melogno Pass, about 200 m from the Bric Merizzo support battery. A deep ditch encircles the structure, protected by caponiers. The single-storey barracks, built of local Finalese stone, faces the pass; a now-unstable wooden bridge, possibly once a drawbridge, leads to the entrance. Inside, a corridor links rooms that still show traces of original plaster, iron grilles and some window frames.

The Royal Italian Army planned the Melogno barrier between 1883 and 1895 to defend Lower Piedmont and the Ligurian Apennines against land attacks from the Ligurian coast. Forte Tortagna, at the eastern edge of Calizzano near Magliolo, belonged to a system with the Centrale del Melogno and Settepani forts and the Bric Merizzo battery. On 27 November 1944 partisans of the 5th Garibaldi Brigade captured and shot 17 men of the Cadore Battalion nearby, a killing recorded on a memorial plaque.

On 27 November 1944, after a clash near the Melogno Pass, partisans of the 5th Garibaldi Brigade captured and shot 17 men of the Cadore Battalion, 4th Alpine Division "Monterosa", by the fort; a memorial plaque marks the execution. Lieutenant Mario Da Re, a medical officer, obtained a pardon for a 17-year-old soldier named Albareti.

To reach the fort, you must follow a military road that climbs up to the site. The structure sits within fenced private property, so it is worth checking access conditions before heading out.

Inside the fort, original rooms still contain preserved plasterwork, iron fixtures, and military equipment from when it was operational. These details reveal how soldiers once lived and worked within such fortifications.