Forte Monte Mario: A Prussian-Style Defense of Rome
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.2
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Italy
- Primary era
- Modern
- Eras represented
- Modern
- Civilizations
- Italian
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Fort
History
Forte Monte Mario is a Prussian-style fort in Rome, Italy, constructed between 1877 and 1882 as one of the 15 forts forming the Entrenched Field of Rome. Built under Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of unified Italy, it was designed to help defend the capital during the development of this larger defensive system between 1877 and 1891.
Construction began in 1877 and the fort was completed in 1882. It remained in military use until 1919, serving the defensive purpose for which it had been established. Military units continue to occupy the site, whose garrison is associated with Italy’s Ministry of Defence.
The fort stands on Monte Mario, the hill from which it takes its name. Its grounds also contain a tower marking the Meridian of Rome, known as the First Meridian of Italy. Used in Italian cartography from 1872 for nearly a century, the meridian adds a surveying and mapping function to the site’s military history.
