Forte Michelangelo

After the various looting, fire and massacres to which the city was subjected towards the end of the 1400s, under the continuous threat of pirates that infested our seas, Giulio II della Rovere, who became Pope in 1503 and was particularly aware of the need to provide an efficient means by which to defend the port of Civitavecchia, decided to arm the city with a fortress which, apart from defending the port, a key factor for communicating with Rome, would also ensure tranquility for its citizens who, to escape from enemy invasion, were forced to find refuge on the nearby mountains.
The work was supervised by the Bramante who, after his death on 11 March 1514, never had the satisfaction of seeing it completed.
The work continued under the direction of his two pupils Giuliano Leno and Antonio da Sangallo.
The fortress was completed in 1535 under the pontifical reign of another great Pope, Paul III of Farnese, the great benefactor of the arts.
The upper part of the Donjon still had to be completed and the task was assigned to the great Michelangelo.
Fort Michelangelo is amongst the most vast ever built in those times.

It is of quadrilateral shape with four turrets on top and an octagonal shaped donjon; the walls are covered in travertine, with a surrounding mote which today has disappeared, however the filling hides underneath the entire clod above which the escarpment is slightly inclined.
Upwards the walls are steep once more and towards the top there is an indefinite cornice supported by classic brackets.
The walls are crowned with parapets with more or less large openings depending on their use: whether for arquebus or cannons.
The Fort may have been completely isolated from the rest of the fortress in order to concentrate maximum defenses.
The ancient entrance opened between the donjon and the tower on the west side; the old bronze chain pulley, which served to lift and lower the drawbridge, is still visible; on the side jamb the words “LEAVE YOUR WEAPONS” are still carved there.
The four bastions are called: San Colombano, Santa Ferma, San Sebastiano and San Giovanni.
The tower of San Sebastiano also has an underground corridor that was used to secretly exit the fortress.
It is presumed that it emerged from inside the city walls city.
In the Santa Ferma tower, which was once in direct contact with the sea, there is a small chapel which has always existed there, in honor of the Patron Saint of the city.
The fortress extends entirely above a large Roman building of imperial times, maybe a barracks for the “classiari” detached here for the needs of the fleet or the port of Traiano.
The building, which was partially unexplored, revealed a large room where a beautiful floor in geometric mosaics was almost totally preserved.

Forte Michelangelo