Bastione delle Forche

The Bastione delle Forche is a surviving section of Prato's walls, where sixteenth-century artillery defences meet the city's fourteenth-century circuit.

Why it matters

The bastion's name recalls the gallows once located in this exposed corner, linking the city's fortifications with its history of public justice. Its low, angled form reflects the changes in military architecture brought by gunpowder weapons.

What to notice

The earthen-backed platform joins the older brick curtain wall. Differences in material and construction reveal the meeting of the fourteenth-century wall and the later bastion. Nearby villas reflect the transformation of the riverbank in the early twentieth century.

Context and history

Prato's third ring of walls was built in the fourteenth century as the textile city expanded. In the sixteenth century, low angular bastions were added to improve defensive fire across the surrounding terrain. The former military platform later became part of the city's public landscape and is recognised through repeated FAI Luoghi del Cuore nominations.