Fenestrelle Fort



The Fenestrelle Fortress, better known as the Fenestrelle Fort is a fortress overlooking Fenestrelle (Piedmont, northern Italy). It is the biggest alpine fortification in Europe, having a surface area of 1,300,000 m². Originally built by the French to a design by Vauban beginning in 1694 and enlarged by Savoy between 1728 and 1850, it  guards the access to Turin via the Chisone valley, and stands at altitudes between 1,100  and 1,800 m. The territory was acquired in 1709 by the Duchy of Savoy (later known as the Kingdom of Sardinia) after the defeat of the French at fort Mutin (Fenestrelle).

History
In 1694 French general de Catinat obtained approval to build Fort Mutin in the Chisone valley to a design by the noted French fortress architect Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban. The fort was besieged in August 1708 by an army of Savoy under Victor Amadeus II, surrendering after 15 days.

France officially ceded Fenestrelle to Savoy as required by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. To defend the newly acquired territories, a complex of forts was built, using a design by Ignazio Bertola. They were connected by a 3 km long wall, a long indoor staircase of 3,996 steps and an outside staircase of 2,500 steps.

It was used as a prison by the French Empire: notable prisoners were Joseph de Maistre and Bartolomeo Pacca. The prison also held Pierre Picaud, whose story was the inspiration for Edmond Dantès, the main character in Dumas’s Count of Monte Cristo. The Kingdom of Sardinia locked political prisoners, Mazzini's supporters and common criminals in the fort, including the Archbishop Luigi Fransoni.

In 1861, after the unification of Italy, around 24,000 Kingdom of the Two Sicilies supporters (mainly soldiers) were put into the fort, which probably became a concentration camp (but some academics complain that this accusation is not true ). Several Garibaldi's and Papal States supporters were also locked up. Many of the prisoners died of hunger and cold.

In 1882, the fort was upgraded. After 1887, it became the headquarters of the Fenestrelle battalion of the Third Alpini Regiment.

After World War II, the fort was abandoned and left to decay, most of the available material being plundered. In 1990 a redevelopment action, guided by a group of volunteers, known as Progetto San Carlo (ONLUS) was started.