Fenestrelle Fort
All you need to know about the largest alpine fortress in Europe
The Fenestrelle Fortress (it.: Forte di Fenestrelle) is not only the largest fortress in Europe, but also the next largest walled structure after the Great Wall of China!
Whenever I have guests in Piedmont, a visit to this impressive monument is at the top of my to-do list, and I have been there many times.
Read on to find all the information you need for your visit to the Fenestrelle Fortress in the beautiful Val Chisone.
All you need to know about the Fenestrelle Fort
The Fenestrelle Fortress (it. Forte di Fenestrelle) towers majestically in the Val Chisone, on the once strategically important route in northern Italy from Piedmont to France.
It is an absolute masterpiece of military architecture, the largest fortress in Europe and correspondingly impressive to look at!
The huge complex extends over almost the entire left side of the valley, covering an area of around 1.3 million square meters.
From the lowest point of the imposing structure at 1100 m above sea level to the highest point at 1800 m above sea level, you have to climb almost 700 meters in altitude. 635 meters to be precise.
The Fenestrelle forts actually consist of three individual fortresses: Fort San Carlo, Fort Tre Denti and Fort Delle Valli.
A tunnel connects these monuments. The longest covered staircase in Europe runs through this tunnel, with almost 4,000 steps.
History (short version)
Construction work on the Fenestrelle fortress began in 1728 and lasted around 120 years.
The engineer Ignazio Bertola built the stronghold to secure the Italian-French border on behalf of the Duke of Savoy, Vittorio Amedeo II as only a few years prior that part of Italy belonged to the French King Louis XIV.
To protect the valley bed from enemy attacks, the Reduit Carlo Alberto replaced the obsolete Fort Mutin, which had stood on this site since 1705 and was in danger of collapsing.
A total of 3 redoubts were built: Fort San Carlo, Fort Tre Denti and Fort Delle Valli. The entire fortification complex is connected by a continuous wall. All parts of the fortress can be reached on dry ground via the covered and internal staircase with approx. 4000 steps (Scala Coperta).
The outer staircase with “only” approx. 2500 steps (Scala Reale) was used by the king during his visits. This royal staircase provides a link between Fort Tre Denti, the Santa Barbara battery, the gate, the hospital and, at the other end, the entrance to Fort delle Valli.
From 1887 until the end of the First World War, the fortress became the garrison of the mountain battalion. With the rise of fascism, it served as a prison for political prisoners.
Famous prisoners included Xavier de Maistre, the author of “Voyage autour de ma chambre” and Cardinal Bartolomeo Pacca, Pope Pius VII’s secretary.
After the end of the Second World War, the Italian army no longer had any use for the Fenestrelle fortress and abandoned it.
Due to weather and looting, the empty buildings fell into disrepair, and it was not until 1984 that the first restoration work was carried out. Since 1990, a volunteer organization has been responsible for the preservation and restoration of the extensive complex.
In 2007, Fenestrelle Fortress was included in the World Monument Fund’s list of the 100 most endangered cultural monuments.
My tip: Do not forget to take a look at the neighboring village of Usseaux. It is located just a few minutes further west in Val Chisone and of the most beautiful villages in Piedmont.
How to visit the Fenestrelle Fort
There is only a limited area within the fortress walls that you can visit without a guided tour.
Only within Fort San Carlo, the center of the entire complex, are small areas freely accessible. You won’t get access to any other areas without a guided tour. Believe, I hiked around the entire fortress complex, there is no way of entering it.
The most important buildings of the Fenestrelle Fort are located in within the San Carlo Fort: The governor’s palace, the officers’ pavilion, the church, military quarters, a large powder tower, magazines, laboratories and an old pharmacy.
A bridge leads from the parking lot to the parade ground. On the right-hand side is the former officers’ palace, which houses the small information desk with the ticket office.
There is also a small museum inside the building with memorabilia of the soldiers of the 3rd Mountain Regiment. From 1887 until the end of the First World War, their garrison was housed in the Fenestrelle stronghold. This exhibition is free of charge.
Visit to Fenestrelle Fortress without a guided tour
If you want to see more than just this small part of the Officers’ Palace and the inner courtyard without a guided tour, your only option is the “De Amicis” ticket, which I highly recommend buying.
For € 3.00 per person, you can walk through a small area of Fort San Carlo on your own along a set circular route.
This tour includes a short section of the covered staircase, which you would otherwise not be able to enter. For this reason alone, the small investment of € 3.00 is very well spent.
Visit to Fenestrelle Fortress with a guided tour
If you want to see and explore more than what the short self-guided tour of Fort San Carlo offers, you will have to join a guided tour.
All other rooms, buildings and tunnels in Europe’s largest fortress can only be seen as part of a such a guided tour.
Good to know: All the guided tours are exclusively in Italian language. Guided tours in English are only available for large groups of 25 people or more.
There are 3 options for the Italian guided tours of Fenestrelle Fort:
1.) 1std guided tour: This guided tour of the Forte Fenestrelle always starts at 10:00 in the morning and 15:00 (14:30 in winter) in the afternoon. This tour covers the various buildings of Fort San Carlo.
Admission fee: € 10.00 per person
2.) 3h guided tour: This tour always starts at 10:00 in the morning and 15:00 (14:30 in winter) in the afternoon. This tour includes a visit to the San Carlo and Tre Denti fortresses and a short section of the staircase tunnel.
Admission fee: € 15.00 per person
3.) 7h guided tour “La Passeggiata Reale”: This guided tour of the Forte di Fenestrelle always starts at 9:00 am and includes the entire fortress complex, including the 4000 steps to Fort Delle Valli.
Admission fee: € 20.00 per person
Ticket tip: With the Torino Piemonte Card you get free admission. Read here, all you need to know about the Torino Piemonte Card discount card.
Opening hours Fenestrelle Forts
The only are open to the public is Fort San Carlo, the Fortress next to the parking lot. You are not able to visit the other forts and buildings without a guided tour. The gate and the ticket office of San Carlo Fortress are open as follows:
Summer (July & August):
Mornings from 09:00 – 13:00 and afternoons from 14:30 – 18:00
Winter (September – June):
Mornings from 10:00 – 13:00 and afternoons from 14:30 – 17:00
How to get to Fenestrelle
The parking lot in front of the Fenestrelle fort is very easy to reach and free of charge. The fortress complex is the perfect day trip due to its proximity to Turin.
From Pinerolo, travel and follow the main road “SP 23” in the direction of Sestière. The fortress can be seen from afar.
The road leads below the fortress into the village of Fenestrelle. The small road “Via del Forte” then turns right towards the stronghold and 500m later you have reached the parking lot.
From Turin, the 86 km drive through the beautiful Val Chisone to the largest fortress in Europe takes about 1:15 hours.
My Tip: In combination with the impressive Sacra di San Michele and the beautiful city of Susa in Val di Susa, the fortress can be part of a fantastic Piedmont Road trip.
Conclusion
The fortress of Fenestrelle is a unique structure that you should definitely visit if you are on vacation in Piedmont. It is not only the largest fortress in Europe, but also the next largest walled structure after the Great Wall of China.
If you don’t understand Italian, I recommend the self-guided “De Amicis Tour” for € 3,00 per person to get an impression of the size and mightiness of the fort.
⇨ If you love hiking, make sure to set aside some time – one of my favorite trails in Piedmont begins right at the fortress.
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