Cittadella of Alessandria, Military fortress in Alessandria, Italy.
The Cittadella of Alessandria is a star-shaped brick fortress in the Piedmontese city of Alessandria, covering a large area. The six bastions are connected by straight walls, and a wide moat surrounds the entire structure, linked to the Tanaro River.
The fortress was commissioned by King Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy and built from 1732 under Charles Emmanuel III, to block military traffic on the Road of Flanders. Designed by Ignazio Bertola, it was first tested in 1745-1746, resisting a French-Spanish army for seven months. On 10 March 1821 Colonel Guglielmo Ansaldi raised the Carbonari tricolour on its bastions.
The site carries the name of the city itself and still displays the classic building style of mid-18th-century Italian military installations. Visitors can walk along the ramparts and enter the casemates, where soldiers once lived and weapons were stored.
The main entrance is located on Via Pavia 2, where the Italian Environmental Fund organizes guided tours. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes, as many paths cross uneven ground and stairs.
The fortress is among the largest fully preserved military structures from the 18th century in Europe. Its layout has never been altered, so the entire system of bastions, casemates, and moats still functions today as it did when it was built.
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