Forte Inglese

On the San Rocco hill above Portoferraio, Forte Inglese is an eighteenth-century fort that passed between Medici, British and French control before becoming a site for the Tuscan Archipelago National Park's exhibitions and nature study.

Why it matters

Grand Duke Cosimo III ordered the coastal defence in the early eighteenth century. It was first known as Forte di San Giovanni Battista. In 1796 British troops occupied and rebuilt the ruined fort, giving it the name Forte Inglese. The fort was rebuilt and rearmed around 1802 and enlarged under Napoleon in 1814. The park now uses it as a visitor centre, connecting the island's military history with its landscapes and natural heritage.

What to notice

Sloping ramparts and a moat give the fort its compact artillery profile; a concrete bridge crosses the moat where a drawbridge once stood. Inside, the Tuscan Archipelago National Park presents the exhibition “L'Elba di Giorgio Roster,” about the Florentine physician and scientist who began visiting Elba regularly in 1875 to photograph its landscapes and study its minerals and plants. The NAT-LAB occupies another wing, with displays on the island's habitats. A multimedia installation from the LIFE ASAP project addresses invasive alien species.

Context and history

The fort formed part of Portoferraio's outer defences during Napoleon's rule on Elba. In 1814 he had it enlarged and garrisoned, and it was renamed Forte St. Hilaire. Later it served as a quarantine station, a place of detention and a prison. During the Second World War it housed an anti-aircraft gun; after the war, displaced families sheltered in its casemates. A restoration completed in October 2014 preceded its reopening in 2015 as a cultural venue.