The Forte Albertino (also ''Forte di Vinadio'') is an alpine fortress in

Vinadio Vinadio () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about southwest of Turin and about southwest of Cuneo, on the border with France. It is located along the Stura di Demonte river. Vinad ...

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

, northern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, located outside the town in the Stura di Demonte Valley. It is now used as a museum.

History

Forte Albertino was commissioned in 1834 by

Charles Albert of Savoy Charles Albert (; 2 October 1798 – 28 July 1849) was the King of Sardinia and ruler of the Savoyard state from 27 April 1831 until his abdication in 1849. His name is bound up with the first Italian constitution, the ''Statuto Albertino'', a ...

and, following a brief reprieve between 1837 and 1839, finished in 1847. The fort is placed strategically close to the French border and the

Maddalena Pass The Maddalena Pass (Italian: ''Colle della Maddalena'' French: ''Col de Larche'', historically ''Col de l'Argentière'') (elevation 1996 m.) is a high mountain pass between the Cottian Alps and the Maritime Alps, located on the border between It ...

, giving Italian troops control of who entered the country. An estimated 4,000 men helped erect the fort. Its walls have a length of about , with a total of internal paths on three levels: the Upper Front, the Attack Front, and the Lower Front. The Upper and Lower Fronts consist of casements while the Attack Front had a

ravelin A ravelin is a triangular fortification or detached outwork, located in front of the innerworks of a fortress (the curtain walls and bastions). Originally called a ''demi-lune'', after the ''lunette'', the ravelin is placed outside a castle a ...

and was the only point of access for communication with the outside world. This included communication with the town, Porta Francia, and the Pass. The fort was never properly outfitted for war and was used as a prison for captured Garibaldini during the

Battle of Aspromonte The Battle of Aspromonte, also known as the Day of Aspromonte (), was a minor engagement that took place on 29 August 1862, and was an inconclusive episode of the Italian unification process. It is named after the nearby mountain of Aspromonte ...

. After the dawn of the 20th century, Forte Albertino became a

barracks Barracks are buildings used to accommodate military personnel and quasi-military personnel such as police. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word 'soldier's tent', but today barracks ar ...

, then an artillery warehouse. It was later bombed by the Allies during World War II and abandoned. It has since then been renovated and is now used as a museum.

Permanent exhibitions

* Montagna in Movimento: Multimedia installations allow visitors to see the development, natural and otherwise, that built up Alps civilizations. The strategic value of the fort's location as well as ongoing environmental conservation and biodiversity efforts are highlighted. * Messaggeri Alati: Located at Porta Neraissa, this exhibition details the history of the important military

dovecote A dovecote or dovecot , doocot (Scots Language, Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house Domestic pigeon, pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or b ...

, which remained until 1944. * Vinadio Virtual Reality: Introduced in 2017, the virtual reality exhibit gives visitors two options of fort exploration: the Vollo libero sul forte, a flight simulator, and Giallo Forte, a spy game. * Mammamia che Forte!: This exhibition has offered a wide range of children's programming since its introduction in 2019.

References

{{coord, 44.3062, N, 7.1725, E, source:wikidata, display=title Castles in Piedmont Vauban fortifications in Italy Museums in Piedmont Military and war museums in Italy Buildings and structures in the Province of Cuneo Military history of Piedmont Military installations established in 1847