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The Gavi Fort |
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The powerful fort that is still standing has ancient origins.
It is probably of the Roman epoch however it may also be of the pre-Roman epoch.
The massive structure was to protect the town because of its strategical position.
In Medieval times the Fort was transformed and it appeared as a castle that had towers and a trapezoidal base with high walls that made it impenetrable. |
In 1626 and the following years marked a turning point. The artillery of the fort was insufficient because it lost the attack against the Franco-Savoy troops in 1625. |
The castle was transformed into a central nucleus where six bastions were added that were united by a chain of cannons. The town was located in the inferior part of the castle and it had rooms, kitchens, water, prisons, and an army. The bellicose activity of the fort ended in the Napoleonic period and it remained the only French stronghold in Italy, but before it was of the Austro-Russians before the victory of Napoleon at Marengo on June 14, 1800. When it was disarmed the Fort became a penal prison up until the beginning of the 20th century and during the two World Wars it was a prison camp.
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