The Castello di Punta Pagana is a 17th-century

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

located on the homonymous Punta Pagana, within the grounds of

Villa Pagana Villa Pagana, formerly known as Villa Spinola, is a residential building in the frazione of San Michele di Pagana in Rapallo, within the Metropolitan City of Genoa in Italy. It is located on Punta Pagana, close to the boundary with Santa Margher ...

Rapallo Rapallo ( , , ) is a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, located in the Liguria region of northern Italy. As of 2017 it had 29,778 inhabitants. It lies on the Ligurian Sea coast, on the Tigullio Gulf, between Portofino and Chiavar ...

, within the

Metropolitan City of Genoa The Metropolitan City of Genoa ( it, Città Metropolitana di Genova) is one of the fourteen Metropolitan cities of Italy, located in the region of Liguria. Its capital is the city of Genoa. It replaced the Province of Genoa. History It was first c ...

in Italy. It is located west of

San Michele di Pagana San Michele di Pagana is a ''frazione'' (hamlet) of the ''comune'' of Rapallo, Metropolitan City of Genoa, Liguria, northern Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern E ...

, close to the boundary with

Santa Margherita Ligure Santa Margherita Ligure ( lij, Santa Margaita) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located about southeast of Genoa, in the area traditionally known as Tigullio. It has a port, used for b ...

. The fort was originally built by the

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( lij, Repúbrica de Zêna ; it, Repubblica di Genova; la, Res Publica Ianuensis) was a medieval and early modern maritime republic from the 11th century to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast. During the Lat ...

, and today it belongs to the

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

along with the rest of the villa. Together with the Castello di Santa Margherita Ligure to the west and the to the east, it formed part of the Genoese coastal defence system for the protection of villages on the western

Tigullio 240px, Diagrammatic aerial view showing the main communes of Tigullio. Tigullio is a traditional region and a gulf in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, Liguria, northern Italy. Part of the Riviera di Levante, it includes the communes of (from West to ...

gulf.

History

Construction of the fort began in April 1625 by the

, the ''capitaneati'' of

Recco The RECCO is a rescue technology used by organised rescue teams as an additional tool to more quickly locate people buried by an avalanche or lost in the outdoors. The system is based on a harmonic radar system and composed by a detector and a p ...

Chiavari Chiavari (; lij, Ciävai ) is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, in Italy. It has about 28,000 inhabitants. It is situated near the river Entella. History Pre-Roman and Roman Era A pre-Roman necropolis, which dates f ...

and the ''podesterie'' of

Moneglia Moneglia (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located about southeast of Genoa. It is a tourist resort on the Riviera di Levante. In 2012 it was added to the list of I Borghi più b ...

and

Sestri Levante Sestri Levante ( la, Segesta Tigullorum/Segesta Tigulliorum) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, Liguria, Italy. Lying on the Mediterranean Sea, it is approximately south of Genoa and is set on a promontory. While nearby ...

. Its construction became necessary due to the open hostilities between Genoa and

Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy Charles Emmanuel I ( it, Carlo Emanuele di Savoia; 12 January 1562 – 26 July 1630), known as the Great, was the Duke of Savoy from 1580 to 1630. He was nicknamed (, in context "the Hot-Headed") for his rashness and military aggression. Being ...

, which raised fears of a Piedmontese land or sea attack. The fort cost over 50,000 lire, and construction work progressed rapidly thanks to new taxes that allowed for the purchase of the material and paying workers' salaries. Construction was well underway by December 1625, and the moat and drawbridge were ready by 1627. The fort was fully completed and commissioned by the Republic of Genoa on 28 July 1631. It was armed with enough weapons, ammunition and gunpowder for a sudden attack. Fortunately for the inhabitants of the nearby village of

, the area was never attacked by pirates or enemy soldiers and the fort never saw use. In 1644, the Genoese senate ordered the castellan to abandon the fort and send all military equipment inside on a galley to Genoa. Rapallo Punta Pagana

The castle was subsequently garrisoned by local soldiers, and it became the headquarters of the ''Commissariato di Sanità di Rapallo'' (Health Commissariat of Rapallo). The

Bombardment of Genoa The Bombardment of Genoa was a military event during the War of the Reunions when France bombarded the city of Genoa from the sea between May 18 and May 28, 1684. Background The Republic of Genoa was strategically a very important ally of the ...

by the French fleet in 1684 caused fears of another attack, so the fort was rearmed. However, no attacks occurred, and the fort was finally abandoned in 1705. It later became private property, forming part of the grounds of the nearby

. The fort has belonged to the

since 1959, when the last owner of the villa passed on the entire property to the Order.

Sources

* *

External links

*{{commons category inline, Castle of Punta Pagana Forts in Italy Buildings and structures in the Province of Genoa 17th-century fortifications Buildings and structures completed in 1631 1631 establishments in the Republic of Genoa Castles and fortifications of the Knights Hospitaller Rapallo