Visit the Fort of Santa Tecla in Sanremo: History, Exhibitions, and Information

Overlooking the Old Port, a short walk from the center and the famous Ariston Theater, the Fort of Santa Tecla in Sanremo is one of the city's historical symbols. Built in the 18th century by the Republic of Genoa to defend the coast, this imposing fortress has gone through the centuries, transforming itself from a military garrison to a prison, until today becoming a museum space and venue for exhibitions, events, and guided tours.

Its strategic location, between the sea and the gardens of Sanremo, makes it an unmissable stop for those who want to discover local history and admire a rare example of Ligurian military architecture. In this guide, you will find history, opening hours, prices, useful information, and interesting facts to help you plan your visit.

How to get there and where to park[ back to menu ]

The Fort of Santa Tecla is centrally located, overlooking the Old Port of Sanremo and easily accessible on foot from the heart of the city.

For those arriving by car, one of the most convenient solutions is to park in the area of the former railway station, next to the cycle path that runs along the seafront, or to use the Palafiori multi-storey car park, a short distance from the fort.

If you are on vacation on the Riviera di Ponente, perhaps starting from our farmhouse in Diano Marina, you can reach Sanremo in less than an hour by car. This way, you can include a visit to the fort in an itinerary that also includes beaches, historic villages, and coastal views.

The history of the Fort of Santa Tecla[ back to menu ]

The history of the Fort of Santa Tecla began in the second half of the 18th century: designed by Giacomo De Sicre and Alberto Medoni, it was built between 1755 and 1756 at the behest of the Republic of Genoa as a repressive warning following the uprising that broke out in Sanremo in 1753. Its triangular layout, with bastions at the corners, remains one of the rare examples of 18th-century military architecture preserved almost intact on the Ligurian coast.

With the demise of the Republic of Genoa, the fort took on various functional roles. After 1815, it was converted into barracks, while in 1864 it began its long phase as a judicial prison—retaining its original structure—until 1997.

In 2013, the Superintendence for Architectural and Landscape Heritage of Liguria began the first consolidation works, which allowed the opening of some areas of the ground floor, now used as a cultural space. On March 31, 2016, the Fort came under the jurisdiction of the Regional Directorate of Museums of Liguria. Thanks to an agreement signed with the Municipality of Sanremo, it reopened in the summer of 2016 as an exhibition venue and cultural events space.

Sanremo and Fort Santa Tecla

The Vallotto Bridge: a fragment of history at the entrance to the fort[ back to menu ]

The visit to the Fort of Santa Tecla begins outside, where you can admire an architectural element of great historical value: an ancient section of the Vallotto Bridge, once located on the San Romolo stream, near the church of San Siro. This bridge, used until 1866, was partially demolished and incorporated into the stream's covering, with the addition of a brick arch to reinforce the weakened structure.

Its origins are intertwined with the ancient history of Sanremo: it stood along a road that coincided with a Roman road, in an area that has yielded evidence of a settlement dating back to the 1st century BC. Here, in the 12th century, the complex of the co-cathedral of San Siro was built on the site of a proto-Romanesque church and possibly early medieval structures.

The arch with pink limestone blocks on both sides and part of the southern wall, made of gray limestone blocks and some sandstone elements, have survived from the original medieval structure. To widen the hydraulic section of the stream, the bridge was dismantled and, after a careful survey using laser scanner technology, rebuilt here at the entrance to the fort, where today it stands as a valuable testimony to the past.

The 17th-century building and the ancient oil mill[ back to menu ]

Next to the Ponte del Vallotto bridge, archaeological excavations have unearthed the remains of a 17th-century building consisting of four rooms belonging to two separate dwellings. Two sides of the building faced directly onto the beach, while at the rear and on another side there was an enclosed vegetable garden with a vaulted cistern and a square well for water supply.

Today, two rooms of the house located further upstream and a portion of the second unit are visible. The entrance doors to both houses were on the northeast side, while a small staircase allowed the inhabitants of the house facing the sea to go directly down to the beach. The ground floor of the upper unit was used for craft activities: first a furnace, then a facility for processing and selling olive oil. The upper floor, like the other dwelling, was used for residential purposes.

The location, exposed to storm surges, made it necessary to protect the southeast side with a sturdy perimeter wall, founded on piles and reinforced by a buttress. Poles were fixed into the beach in front to secure boats pulled ashore.

After the furnace was abandoned, the area dedicated to oil was equipped with four large rectangular slate tanks buried about one meter deep, each capable of holding about a thousand liters of product. Also covered in slate, they had a hole for filling and were connected to a slate counter, where the oil was transferred into containers for retail sale. The excess liquid was recovered and conveyed to an underground vessel at the foot of the counter.

The oil intended for sale was probably stored in bulbous jars made in Provence, while the reserve was stored in the tanks. This system, typical in Liguria, protected the oil from light and kept it at a constant temperature throughout the year, ensuring optimal quality and preservation.

How to visit the Fort of Santa Tecla[ back to menu ]

Entering the Fort of Santa Tecla means taking a journey through the history of Sanremo, from its construction in the 18th century to its rebirth as a cultural space. The tour takes you through the interior and exterior areas, offering not only picturesque views of the sea and the port, but also installations, panels, and artifacts that tell the story of the structure's military and prison functions. Today, the fort hosts temporary exhibitions, events, and guided tours, allowing visitors to discover one of the city's most authentic symbols up close.

Fort Santa Tecla Sanremo, towards the ramparts

The structure of the fort[ back to menu ]

At the entrance to the fort, a commemorative plaque summarizes the main stages of its history. Built between 1755 and 1756 at the behest of the Republic of Genoa, the fort was designed by military engineer Giacomo De Sicre with a triangular plan and three mighty bastions, one of which incorporates the previous 17th-century defensive tower known as Castello Marittimo. Equipped with sixteen cannons facing the city, it became part of the coastal defense system during the Napoleonic era.

After the annexation of Liguria to the Kingdom of Sardinia, it became a barracks for the Bersaglieri and, from 1864 to 1997, a prison. A major restoration project, promoted by the Ministry of Culture and the Municipality of Sanremo, allowed it to reopen to the public in 2016, transforming it into a place of culture and events.

The Parade Ground[ back to menu ]

The heart of the Fort of Santa Tecla is its Piazza d'Armi, once an open courtyard and the operational hub of the structure. During the period when the fort was used as a prison, a walkway was added at the first floor level to allow access to the cells. During the restoration, this walkway was "recreated" with a modern metal structure that runs along the entire perimeter, keeping the memory of the original alive.

Today, the Piazza d'Armi is covered by an impressive laminated wood and glass structure, but it was once completely exposed to the elements. Thinking about the cells on the first floor, inhabited by prisoners in winter and summer without any protection, gives an idea of how hard life here could be: bitter cold in the winter months and suffocating heat under the summer sun. This is concrete evidence of how far the original function of the fort was from the idea of comfort we have today.

The Ponente Warehouse[ back to menu ]

From the Piazza d'Armi, the tour continues to the Ponente Warehouse, now used as a conference room. Its trapezoidal plan follows the sloping triangular perimeter of the fort, and the room has a double height ceiling covered by a vault. This layout allows visitors to look out from above, just as they can from the first floor, as is the case with the cistern.

Originally, this space was used for storing materials. In the 19th century, when the fort was converted into barracks, it was turned into a kitchen: on the left side, a small apse with a fireplace, probably the old oven, is still visible. Later, when the fort was used as a prison, it became a common area for prisoners and a place for religious celebrations on holidays.

The restoration completely removed the plaster, leaving the original masonry exposed and restoring the room to its authentic and evocative appearance.

Ponente Warehouse, Forte Santa Tecla, Sanremo

The Cistern[ back to menu ]

Next to the Ponente Warehouse is the cistern, once the water reserve for the entire fort. Its structure is visible both from the ground floor, where you can see the large tank, and from above, thanks to its double-height design that allows you to look down from the first floor. This element was essential for ensuring the water supply, especially during periods of siege or prolonged isolation.

Cistern Forte Santa Tecla, Sanremo

The Ramparts[ back to menu ]

After visiting the ground floor, you can go up to the ramparts on the second floor. When the building was used as a prison, this area served as a courtyard for the inmates, offering them the only open space available.

Restoration work has restored the terraces and ramparts, once home to cannon batteries: sixteen facing the city, arranged on the northern ramparts, and five facing the port and marina, on the southern rampart. The latter is notable for having been created by incorporating the "Castello Marittimo" (Maritime Castle) of 1613, a previous defensive structure.

Walking along all three ramparts, you can enjoy a beautiful 360-degree view of the fort and the surrounding landscape: from the sea to the historic center, to the hills of the hinterland.

Fort Santa Tecla Sanremo, the ramparts

The prisoners' cells[ back to menu ]

After walking along the ramparts, you go down to the first floor to visit the prisoners' cells. A modern balcony now provides access to them, but the original entrance doors are still there, some of which are being restored. What is most striking is their layout: long, narrow rooms with a tiny window at the end that let in just a sliver of light.

It is hard to imagine life inside those rooms. The atmosphere is rather suffocating. When you consider that the prison was often overcrowded, it is easy to imagine how difficult—and inhumane—it was to live there.

The soldiers' quarters[ back to menu ]

We then go back up to the second floor, on the same level as the ramparts, to enter the soldiers' quarters. It is a large space, now largely set up as a games room and library corner. In the past, however, the soldiers stationed in the fort lived here, and the structure itself still tells the story of its original function.

The room dedicated to the history of Sanremo[ back to menu ]

On the second floor, among the most interesting spaces to visit, there is a room entirely dedicated to the history of Sanremo from the late 19th century to the present day. The walls are covered with posters and thematic panels that tell the story of the area, the Casino, flowers, fashion, music, sports, motorsports (with the famous Sanremo Rally), tourism promotion, hospitality, and the origins of tourism in the city.

Among the many well-known items, a sign dedicated to the Sanremo-Monte Bignone cable car (1,299 meters high) stands out unexpectedly. Built between 1933 and 1936, with a length of 7.5 km, it was for a long time the longest cable car in the world, a technological marvel that attracted visitors from all over the world.

However, its history has not been straightforward: first the war, then legal problems and a failure to adapt to technological and regulatory changes led to its permanent closure in 1981. Over the years, there have been several plans to restore it, but for now it remains only a memory and a promise yet to be fulfilled.

The Levante Warehouses[ back to menu ]

Before concluding your tour of the fort, you can also visit the Levante Warehouses.

Originally, as reported in surveys conducted after their construction, they were intended to be warehouses for artillery. In the 1758 survey, they are simply referred to as "warehouses" and, over time, their function has changed several times. During restoration, they were returned to their original layout as described in 18th-century documents, but over the years they were divided by partitions: in the 1990s, for example, they housed offices (such as the registration room and the prison commander's office) and an infirmary overlooking the courtyard. Today, this large space is used for exhibitions.

Opening hours, tickets, and useful information[ back to menu ]

To access the Fort of Santa Tecla, you must first pass through the ticket office, located immediately to the right of the entrance.

Ticket price[ back to menu ]

Tickets cost €5 (full price) and €2 for young people between 18 and 25 years of age; admission is free for children under 18 and other specific concessions. A combined ticket is also available for €8, which includes the Balzi Rossi Prehistoric Museum and the Nervia Archaeological Area. Special rates may apply for exhibitions and special events.

Tickets can be purchased on site or booked online through the Musei Italiani portal.

Opening hours[ back to menu ]

From April 17 to June 15

• Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. / 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

• Friday: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. / 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
  
  

From June 19 to September 14

• Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday: 5:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.

• Friday: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. / 5:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.
  
  

From September 18 to October 5

• Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. / 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

• Friday: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. / 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
  
  

From October 6 to December 3: seasonal closure.

Opening hours may vary during events: any changes will be communicated on the official website and official social media channels.

 

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