Description of the attraction
The Sangallo fortress, also known as Cittadella - the Citadel, was built about five hundred years ago on one of the highest points of Ancona, the capital of the Italian Marche region - the Colle Astagno hill. It is an excellent example of the defensive structure that was ubiquitous at the time. Today, the Sangallo Fortress, part of the largest park in Ancona, offers its visitors not only an insight into history, but also wonderful views of the city below, the surrounding hills and the panorama of the Adriatic Sea.
Perched on a hilltop in the historic center of Ancona, Cittadella is a prime example of the transformation of a 15-century “Ideal City” into a 16-century “Walled City”. At one time, it was the main element of the defensive system at the very entrance to the city (now Piazza Sangallo). The construction of the fortress began in 1532 at the initiative of Pope Clement VII and by the project of the architect Antonio da Sangallo, after whom it was named. The pontiff, who skillfully used the fear of a possible Turkish invasion of the Apennine Peninsula, convinced the rulers of Ancona to build a new fortress, which allowed him to occupy the city and subjugate the independent Ancona Republic. Towards the end of the 18th century, the walls of Cittadella were connected by fortifications to the Porta Pia gate. Two other forts in Ancona were named Fort Scrima and Fort Altavilla.
The Sangallo fortress, standing at an altitude of about 100 meters above sea level, has an asymmetrical shape with five bastions and two tenals with a total length of 585 meters. The system of underground tunnels served to provide communication between the bastions and ramparts and to protect against mining by enemies. In the second half of the 16th century, construction began on Campo Trincherato, a second line of defensive walls with five ramparts that were four times the size of the ramparts of the Sangallo fortress. The architect of Campo Trincherato was Francesco Pacciotto da Urbino. Construction was completed at the beginning of the 17th century, and the total length of the walls was 915 meters. Today Campo Trincherato is the urban park of Ancona.
