Amid deep shadows, sunlight washes over the walls and gun ports of Fort Bard, an early-19th century Italian bulwark against French invasions built in the steep-sided Aosta Valley gorge at Bard to control the narrow alpine gateway to northwest Italy.
Bard, Valle d’Aosta, Italy: late afternoon sunlight in an alpine gorge casts deep shadows as it warms the austere walls of the Forte di Bard, a strategic stronghold, bristling with gun ports, built to defend the Aosta Valley gateway to northwest Italy against the French. Fort Bard was built by the House of Savoy from 1830 to 1838 on a rocky spur high above the River Dora Baltea, at the narrowest point of the steep-sided Aosta Valley, to replace a demolished medieval castle. The castle had withstood the French during the early-1700s War of the Spanish Succession, and in May 1800, a garrison of 400 men halted Napoleon Bonaparte’s 40,000-strong army, thwarting his plan to attack the Po Valley and Turin. Although the castle surrendered after two weeks, Napoleon exacted revenge by ordering its destruction. The present complex was ordered by Carlo Felice, Duke of Savoy and King of Sardinia, on a site occupied, before the 10th century castle, by pre-Roman defences and fifth century Ostrogoth buildings. It was built on three levels, with the main buildings guarded by separate gun emplacements. The new fort was designed by military engineer Francesco Antonio Olivero. It had 283 rooms, housed up to 416 soldiers, was defended by 50 artillery pieces and held enough supplies to last three months. The upper level, the Carlo Alberto Opera, featured barracks and arsenals around an arcaded courtyard. Below it in this view are lower levels linked by paths, passages and a modern funicular railway. The fortress lost its military role in the early 1900s and after serving as a prison, it was abandoned in 1975. It has since been thoroughly restored by the Aosta Valley region, and in 2006 it reopened as a major cultural attraction. Fort Bard now houses museums, art galleries and exhibition space, with summer concerts and plays staged in the courtyard.
Size: 4256px × 2832px
Location: Bard, Valle d'Aosta, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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