Forte Vecchio in Cavallino Treporti
If history and military architecture are your passion, don’t miss the imposing Forte Treporti, also known as Forte Vecchio di Cavallino.
Together with Batteria Pisani and the numerous telemetric towers, powder magazines, barracks, bunkers, and shelters scattered throughout the area, it is part of the museum route “La via dei Forti” in Cavallino Treporti.
DISCOVERING FORTE TREPORTI
Forte Treporti is one of the many military structures built to defend the waterways leading to Venice. Located in Lio Grando, along the fortified route in the area of Punta Sabbioni, it is one of the best-preserved structures in the northern lagoon of Venice.
The fort was built by the Austrians during the second half of the 19th century (between 1845 and 1851) on the remains of a preexisting French fort, with the aim of controlling the lagoon territory and the port entrance at Punta Sabbioni. It was equipped with suitable anti-ship armaments facing the sea and defensive artillery facing the Venice lagoon.
An impressive fortification covering over 26,000 square meters, built with red bricks and white Istrian stone, surrounded by an artificial moat that connected it to the waters of the lagoon and a characteristic drawbridge (no longer visible today) facing the inner courtyard.
The powder magazine was also built under the Austrian garrison in 1900, while the two telemetric towers, one cylindrical and one quadrangular in shape, were constructed with plastered brickwork and iron finishes during the Great War to spot the enemy and calculate firing direction.
Its military use ceased with the end of World War II, and it was used as a refuge for evacuees, refugees, and homeless civilians.
Today, Forte Treporti is partially inhabited by some families, and several cultural and sports associations have found their headquarters within its premises.
For more information, visit the official website: ww.viadeiforti.it
