Fortezza da Basso

"A unique location in the world, a Medici fortress in the heart of Florence where masterpieces of Renaissance architecture and cutting-edge technologies coexist. A complex of centuries-old and contemporary buildings, different in size and character, where you can organize fairs and events without leaving anything to chance. The Fortress of San Giovanni Battista, called by all Florentines Fortezza da Basso in contrast to Forte Belvedere, is a Renaissance fort of 80,000 square meters - of which 55,000 are covered - built between 1534 and 1537 at the behest of Alessandro de' Medici by the architects Pier Francesco da Viterbo and Antonio da Sangallo the Younger. A work with which the Medici wanted not only to create a defensive garrison following the experience of the Siege of Florence, but also to impress the Florentines with an imposing construction. Surrounded by mighty walls that draw an irregular pentagon, inside the Fortezza da Basso there are buildings for military purposes built in the 16th century, those from the 18th century following the advent of the House of Lorraine, and the modern pavilions designed by Pierluigi Spadolini after the conversion of the Fortezza into a trade fair space, which took place in 1967. Today, the Fortezza da Basso is part of the Florence trade fair and congress center, a leading institution in Tuscany."