Heritage walk in the citadel of Alessandria (IT)

The Cultural Heritage Walk is a unique opportunity to discover and experience the Citadel of Alessandria, one of the most important fortifications in Europe.

The citadel was built between 1728 and 1732 on the orders of Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy, based on a design by Giuseppe Ignazio Bertola.

The expert-led tour takes participants on a journey of discovery through the historical, architectural and landscape heritage of the fortress in four free, two-hour guided tours.

The daily programme aims to actively involve citizens, students, families, scientists and tourists in an inclusive, sustainable cultural experience that is also accessible to people with disabilities.

The stages of the tour include:

• Porta Reale
• Introductory video on the history of the Citadel
• Palazzo del Governatore
• Museum of Historical Uniforms
• Bastion Sant’Antonio
• Powder magazine, furnaces and underground passages.

The Citadel of Alessandria, designed in the 18th century by Ignazio Bertola on behalf of Vittorio Amedeo II, is unique among European fortifications due to its size (over 60 hectares), its typological structure and its state of preservation. A symbol of culture, memory and defence, the Citadel of Alessandria is also a symbol of European project planning: it is the headquarters of the Council of Europe's ‘Comunità Patrimoniale Faro’ (Lighthouse Community) project, which aims to develop new models for the shared, sustainable and innovative management of cultural heritage. The value of the citadel lies in its interdisciplinary character: it is an ‘anthology of types of defence’ (beginning with the system of Sebastien de Vauban, military engineer of the Sun King) as well as a place of memory and collective ethical and social identity, extending to future perspectives.