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The fortress of San Giovanni Battista or Fortress from Basso

The Fortress of San Giovanni Battista or Fortezza da Basso is a modern fortification in the walls of Florence.

Surrounded by the ring road boulevards and part of the Firenze Fiera exhibition complexes, it is now home to numerous national and international conferences, concerts and initiatives.

Born with the name of Castello Alessandria, it was built by Pier Francesco da Viterbo and Antonio da Sangallo the Younger between 1534 and 1537 by order of Alessandro de 'Medici. In May 1533 the excavations supervised by Alessandro Vitelli and the architect Pier Francesco da Viterbo began. On 15 July 1534 the first stone was laid and in December of the same year the works of the fortification works were largely completed.

The giant fortress, pentagonal in shape, was built with great means and speed to ensure control of the city for the Medici, just returning after the Siege of Florence, to provide accommodation for a strong contingent of troops, as well as refuge for the rulers in case of revolt, but also of impressing and intimidating the Florentines with its mass. To accentuate this impression, the side facing the city was endowed by Antonio da Sangallo with a monumental aspect.

The military role of the fortress was also maintained in the Lorraine period, when other buildings of architectural and environmental interest were built such as the building for the officers and a theater.

In 1775 de Sade described the Fortezza Da Basso on his trip to Italy as follows: «[…] the forteresse Da Basso ou château Saint-Jean-Baptiste. C'est un pentagon régulier avec des bons fossés et un chemin couvert. The faut voir l'arsenal et la fonderie de canons ».

At the time of the demolition of the fourteenth-century walls, during the period of Florence as the capital of Italy, the fortress remained isolated and its moats were leveled, leading to the burial of most of the walls.

The Fortress, which like many other similar structures was never used, remained in the hands of the military property until 1967. In recent years it was identified as the site of the Florentine exhibition center; consequently a long restoration and adaptation work was undertaken (not yet completed) which led to the demolition of service structures built during the use of the fortress as a barracks.

Thanks to these works, today the fourteenth-century Porta a Faenza is visible, and follow the ancient course of the Mugnone, a stream that flowed into the city's moats; visit the inside of the Keep and some other interesting structures, such as the powder magazine.

To host the Firenze Fiera events, two new exhibition pavilions were built, named after the designer, respectively "Spadolini" (Pierluigi Spadolini, 1977) and "Cavaniglia" (1996).

Inside the fortress there is one of the offices of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure with numerous scientific and restoration laboratories. The Palazzo dei Congressi was built in the gardens of the overlooking Villa Contini Bonacossi.

Map: The fortress of San Giovanni Battista or Fortress from Basso