Forte di Belvedere reopens!

On June 24, on occasion of the feast of San Giovanni, patron saint of Florence, the reopening of Forte di Belvedere stands out among the many events in the city. The Fort will be open to the public until October 15, 2025, and can be visited with the Firenzecard!
Don't miss the opportunity!

Forte di Belvedere is not only one of the most beautiful panoramic points in Florence, with breathtaking views and glimpses of the city, but also an extraordinary work of architecture built at the end of the sixteenth century by Bernardo Buontalenti.
Located on the highest point of the Boboli hill, the Fortress of Santa Maria in San Giorgio del Belvedere, better known as Forte di Belvedere, was built at the behest of Grand Duke Ferdinand I de' Medici between 1590 and 1595 to defend the Medici family from external threats and possible internal revolts, given that the Medici had been exiled three times.
From a drawing of the time we know that the fortress had to be even more complex, with a series of bastions to incorporate the ancient walls and make the defense from the outside even more effective.

The star-shaped plan, characteristic of fortresses with accentuated altimetric variations, is defined by five bastions: two, called Boboli and Le Monache, facing the city and with a triangular buttress called the Diamantina in the center, and three (La Pace, Casin Interno and San Giorgio) placed to defend Florence, towards the hills of San Miniato and Arcetri.
The building became the command center of the fortress and in its basement a real “armoured room” was created, capable of keeping the treasure safe, thanks to the traps built by Buontalenti himself (crossed shots of arquebuses, removable wooden steps, sharp blades that descended from the ceiling, etc.).

For centuries the Fort carried out its military function, without suffering any external or internal attacks.
Having lost its military function, in 1954 its ownership was transferred. And it was precisely in those years that the great project to restore the structure dates back, inspired by the concept of a terrace overlooking the city, in order to create a place of incomparable charm with a breathtaking view of Florence and its hills.

Visit it and enjoy the view!