Forte Ardietti in Ponti sul Mincio

In the Ponti sul Mincio area stands one of the fortifications that were part of the famous “Quadrilatero” and which is in an excellent state of preservation.
Set in the first moraine reliefs of the Municipality of Ponti sul Mincio, the Fort preserves within it geometric wonders of natural stone and bricks that envelop the visitor in an almost unreal dimension, creating amazement from such perfection.

The Fort has maintained its almost entirely original structure for 160 years, preserving the memory of the Risorgimento events.
It was built following the events of the First Italian War of Independence (1848-1849) which saw the city fall into the hands of the Sardinian-Piedmontese forces (30 May).
Peschiera del Garda, and with it the Fort belongs to the so-called Quadrilatero, a set of four fortified cities resting on the line of the Mincio (Peschiera and Mantua) and Adige (Verona and Legnago) rivers which are the center of Austrian military control in Italy.
This important fortification was built in two phases, in the first phase 1853-1859, digging the moat and building the earthworks, the Carnot wall and the Caponiere. In the second phase, 1859-1861, the central redoubt was built, the Fort therefore showed itself as the cornerstone of the entrenched camp and one of the best equipped forts in the quadrilateral, with a garrison of 612 men and 25 cannons of various calibres, including 4 very modern rifled and breech-loading pieces.
The Fort remained Austrian until 1866 when, following the Third War of Independence, it passed into the ownership of the Kingdom of Italy. This remained a real fortress until 1918, after which it was used as an ammunition depot and remained so until 1998, when it passed to civil state ownership. Inside are preserved some artillery pieces from 1500 up to the Korean War (1948-1953).
The Fort therefore appeared to be the cornerstone of the entrenched camp and one of the best equipped forts in the quadrilateral, with a garrison of 612 men and 25 cannons of various calibres.
The structure is today perfectly preserved in every detail.

NEWS | Forte Ardietti, the new film set of the Assassin’s Creed video game

A Canadian crew went to Forte Ardietti to film together with the Assassin’s Creed Italia association, as part of a documentary aimed at showing the vastness of the fandom of the Ubisoft video game franchise ten years after the release of the first chapter.
The association, made up of boys and girls who dress like the characters from the video game, represents the most visible and also the most spectacular part of a rapidly expanding fandom which nowadays can be placed alongside much more consolidated realities such as community of Star Trek or Star Wars fans.

But why Forte Ardietti? The association decided to come to the fort precisely because of the qualities that make it a unique and perfect film set, its being an almost intact place, like a treasure chest enclosed in time, and its versatility, which allows it to adapt its environments with many uses and for many eras. A magical place, a place to be seen with many eyes, also because “Nothing is real. Everything is permissible”.