The Priamar Fortress (Italian: ''Fortezza del Priamar'') is a fortress occupying the hill with the same name above the port of

Savona Savona (; ) is a seaport and (municipality) in the west part of the northern Italian region of Liguria, and the capital of the Province of Savona. Facing the Ligurian Sea, Savona is the main center of the Riviera di Ponente (the western se ...

Liguria Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...

, northern Italy.

History

Traces of pre-Roman, Roman and Byzantine presences in the site have been excavated in the past centuries, and are now on display in Savona's Archaeological Museum. The cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore (later renamed Santa Maria di Castello) was erected on the promontory between 825 and 887. The fortress was built in 1542 by the

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( ; ; ) was a medieval and early modern Maritime republics, maritime republic from the years 1099 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italy, Italian coast. During the Late Middle Ages, it was a major commercial power in ...

on a

promontory A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the s ...

where in medieval times was the nucleus of Savona, by design of architect . In the 17th century the fortress received bastions designed by the Spanish Royal engineer Domenico Sirena, and in the 18th century were added the commissar's, officers' and Sibilla palaces. In order to create space for the new structures, edifices of the medieval Savona, including the cathedral Santa Maria di Castello (built in the 9th century over a pagan temple), were demolished. In 1746, in the course of the

War of Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King George's War in Nort ...

, it was stormed by the

Piedmontese Piedmontese ( ; autonym: or ; ) is a language spoken by some 2,000,000 people mostly in Piedmont, a region of Northwest Italy. Although considered by most linguists a separate language, in Italy it is often mistakenly regarded as an Italian ...

grenadiers. In 1820, after the annexation of Liguria to Piedmont, it became a prison. During the

Risorgimento The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the annexation of various states of the Italian peninsula and its outlying isles to the Kingdom of ...

, Italian patriot

Giuseppe Mazzini Giuseppe Mazzini (, ; ; 22 June 1805 – 10 March 1872) was an Italian politician, journalist, and activist for the unification of Italy (Risorgimento) and spearhead of the Italian revolutionary movement. His efforts helped bring about the ...

was jailed in the Priamar Fortress. The fortress, which could house up to 500 prisoners, remained Italy's main military prison until 1903, when its role was taken by the castle of

Gaeta Gaeta (; ; Southern Latian dialect, Southern Laziale: ''Gaieta'') is a seaside resort in the province of Latina in Lazio, Italy. Set on a promontory stretching towards the Gulf of Gaeta, it is from Rome and from Naples. The city has played ...

. After the outbreak of the coronavirus, the Fortress reopened to the public in June 2020. In January 2023, the front entrance portal was closed because of wall stones falling down.

Description

The Civic Archaeological Museum and the Sandro Pertini and Renata Cuneo Museum are housed in the fortress' Palazzo degli Ufficiali. The Palazzo della Sibilla is a congress center. The Piazzale del Maschio contains a 600-seat theater. The square Piazzale del Maschio is the highest point of the Fortress, and the square Piazzale della Sibilla stands where the cathedral Santa Maria di Castello used to be erected.

References

External links

Page at Savona's municipality website

{{Coord, 44, 18, 16, N, 8, 29, 4, E, display = title Buildings and structures in Liguria Castles in Liguria Savona Priamar 1542 establishments in the Republic of Genoa Tourist attractions in Liguria