Forte Michelangelo is the great fortress that guards the port of Civitavecchia. It was begun in 1508, when Pope Julius II commissioned the design from Donato Bramante, and completed in 1537, under Paul III, under the direction of Antonio da Sangallo the Younger. The name comes from a local tradition, with no evidence, that the keep, the main tower, was designed by Michelangelo Buonarroti.
What to see
The fortress is a quadrilateral of about one hundred by one hundred and twenty metres, with four corner towers and an octagonal keep. On the eastern tower an oak tree is carved, the emblem from the arms of Julius II: it marks the spot where the pope, on 14 December 1508, blessed and laid the foundation stone. The bastions are called San Paolo to the south-east, San Pietro to the south-west, San Romolo to the north-west and San Giulio to the north-east, although some texts call them San Colombano, Santa Ferma, San Sebastiano and San Giovanni.
The fort was born at the moment of the port's revival. The discovery of alum in the Tolfa hills and the need to export the precious mineral pushed the popes to restore the harbour, entrusting it to the leading architects of the papal court, including Giovannino de' Dolci, Baccio Pontelli and Bramante. Among its famous visitors was also Leonardo da Vinci, who studied and drew the Roman buildings still standing.
Visiting
The fort dominates the basin of the historic port. Access and the possibility of visiting the inside should be checked beforehand.
Our editors' tip
On 9 February 1849, when the Roman Republic was proclaimed, the town raised the tricolour flag on Forte Michelangelo itself.
