Forte di Santa Tecla, Historical fort near the old port in Sanremo, Italy.
Forte di Santa Tecla is a triangular fortification near the old port of Sanremo, built following the standard pattern of 18th-century military design. With multiple floors and bastion-shaped corners, it shows how military structures of that era were organized.
Forte di Santa Tecla was built in 1755–56 by the Republic of Genoa to designs by Giacomo De Sicre and Alberto Medoni, not to defend the coast but to keep the Sanremese under control after their 1753 uprising. The first stone was laid on 6 July 1755 by Gaetano Doria, while locals boycotted the ceremony and refused to help; materials came by sea from Civitavecchia and stone from the demolished ninth-century Castello della Pigna. After 1815 it served as a barracks, and in 1864 it became a judicial prison until 1997.
The fort displays exhibits about coastal defense and shows how important such fortifications were for protecting the harbor city. Visitors can see how the region once watched over and defended its coastline.
The fort sits right beside the harbor and is easy to reach on foot; the surrounding area has good walking paths. Access is level and not steep, making a visit comfortable for most people.
The fort's artillery was fixed: 16 pieces on the forward bastions and 5 smaller guns on the rear bastion, with a garrison of two companies of 40 men each. The Torre della Marina, built in 1563 for the coastal defence system, was spared demolition and incorporated into the fort.
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