Enceinte urbaine fortifiée, dite Citadelle

English translation

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History

Founded ex-nihilo in 1539 and constructed between 1541 and 1544, Porto-Vecchio constitutes the last of these urban strongholds of Corsica. Responding to a colonisation project decided by the Bank of Saint-Georges, Olgiati, a great Italian fortifier, designs the initial plan, whose implementation is due to Antonio de Fornari supported by Colonel Bartolomeo Spinola and Simone Carlone. Throughout the 16th century, the site is the subject of several colonisation attempts doomed to failure, notably that of Ventimiglia la nuova initiated by Pietro Massa and Giacomo Palmero in 1578. The abandonment of the site and the little interest given to its fortifications over the centuries paradoxically allowed the site to be preserved as it was, including through the strong urban expansion of the 20th century.

Description

The citadel comprises 5 bastions, as well as a monumental gate. These engineered structures present the peculiarity of not having been subject to later modifications (notably Vauban improvements) and thus present a 16th century state very little altered. The intensification of settlement in the second half of the 20th century has, however, much more altered the curtain walls, upon which houses have come to lean.