Colico

Fort Fuentes

The Spanish fort that closed the valleys above the Pian di Spagna, dismantled by Napoleon's troops.

Today
Visit duration: 1 h – 1 h 30
Booking: Not required
Area: Upper Lake

Ysogo · CC BY-SA 4.0

Ysogo · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ysogo · CC BY-SA 4.0

Why go

The count of Fuentes, Spanish governor of Milan, had it built in 1603 on the Montecchio hill above the Pian di Spagna, to command the crossroads of the Valchiavenna, the Valtellina and the lake.

Gabrio Busca's design was a star of stone bastions with barracks, the chapel of Santa Barbara and a mill. The garrison suffered from thirst and from the malaria of the marshes below. In 1796 Napoleon's troops dismantled it; the walls, the chapel and the parade ground remain, looking out over the plain and the mountains.

The ruins of the Spanish fort of 1603, looking over the Pian di Spagna and the mountains.
Forte Montecchio Nord is less than two kilometres away: together they span three centuries of frontier defence on the same hills.

Highlights

The ruined bastions and arches
The chapel of Santa Barbara

Getting there

From Colico heading north: a partly unmade road leads to the car park, then a short path climbs to the ticket office.
On foot from Colico station: about two and a half kilometres.