Forte di Fuentes

Forte di Fuentes stands on a hill between Lake Como and the Pian di Spagna wetlands. Built in the early seventeenth century for the Spanish government of Milan, the ruined fortress preserves its principal layout, chapel and later military positions.

Why it matters

The fortress occupied a strategic position where Lake Como, the Valtellina and the Chiavenna valley meet. Built under the Spanish governor Pedro Enríquez de Acevedo, Count of Fuentes, it formed part of the frontier defences against the Grisons. The open-air remains allow the plan of a major Spanish-era military complex to be read in its landscape setting.

What to notice

The trapezoidal fortress plan follows the contours of the hill. Within its walls are traces of barracks and stores around the church of Santa Barbara, completed in 1608. Reinforced-concrete gun emplacements added in 1914–15 show the site’s renewed military use during the First World War. The ramparts overlook the Pian di Spagna and the approaches to the Alpine valleys.

Context and history

Construction began in the opening years of the seventeenth century, and the fortress was operational by 1603. It remained under Spanish control until the Duchy of Milan passed to Austria in 1735. Emperor Joseph II declared it militarily useless in 1769, the garrison left in 1782 and the site was sold. In 1796 Napoleon ordered the fortifications mined and demolished. After a period in private hands, the property passed to the Province of Lecco in 1995; since 2011 the Museo della Guerra Bianca has managed the site for the province.