Fortress of Fuentes

The Fortress of Fuentes in Colico

Colico has always acted as a very important strategic area for controlling the passings across the Alps. In the 16th century Colico belonged to the Milan Dukedom, under the Spanish dominance; Grisons was to the north, therefore Colico was a strategic point between the Milan Dukedom and nearby Switzerland. In October 1609 the Spanish Governor, Pedro Enriquez Acevedo Conte di Fuentes, began the construction of a fort on the summit of Monteggiolo hill in Colico.

It took 3 years of hard work, led by military architect Gabrio Brusca, to complete its construction. Once completed, the fort was 300 m long and 125 m. wide, and inside held the soldiers quarters, the governors palace, the church, the mill with an oven, and the storehouse in the underground.

The work from Fort Fuentes of controlling and protecting the territory went on for decades. In 1735, the Milan Dukedom passed into the hands of Austrian domination, and in 1769, Austrian Emperor Joseph II, after a visit to the fort, declared it militarily useless. In 1782 Fort Fuentes was destroyed and the hill was put on auction, it became private property. During the First World War 1915-1918, on the hill of Fuentes, an outpost for heavy field artillery, in support of the defensive line (Linea Cadorna) was built; the reinforced cement construction is still well-conserved and visible, to the north of the remains of the Fort Fuentes.

Since 1987, Fort Fuentes, and the entire hill has become the property of the Province of Como, then Lecco, and today the hill is able to be visited thanks to the precious work of the Fort Fuentes Association, more information tel. +39 0341 940322. A trip to Colico without a visit to these legendary places is unthinkable.