Fort Philip (Forte Filippo)

En un regard

Le château en bref

Fort Philip is a coastal fortification on Monte Argentario, on top of a headland that overlooks Porto Ercole and the bay of the old harbour from the north-east. The present work was built by the architect Giovanni Camerini shortly after the middle of the 16th century, in 1558, on the site of the Sant'Ermo fort raised by the Sienese in the 15th century, to strengthen the defence of the Spanish State of the Presidi. It takes its name from King Philip II of Spain, who directly commissioned Camerini to carry out the works. Quadrangular in plan, it is enclosed by a double curtain wall, a deep ditch and triangular corner bastions, with a drawbridge and a Spanish coat of arms above the inner gate. Altered by the French under Napoleon and by the Lorraine rulers, turned into a prison in the late 19th century, it was handed over to private owners in the 20th century, restored and partly converted into housing; a private museum can be visited by appointment.