Fortezza da Basso in Florence: History, Events and Practical Information

One of the most evocative locations in Florence is Fortezza da Basso, a fort of Renaissance origin that covers an area of 80,000 square metres, 55,000 of which are indoors.

It is surrounded by massive walls that together give rise to an irregular pentagonal shape.

Inside the Fortress there are numerous buildings built for military purposes and built during the 1500s, but also structures of eighteenth-century origin built following the advent of the House of Lorraine, as well as modern complexes designed by Pierluigi Spadolini after the transformation of the fortress into an exhibition centre in 1967.

Fortezza da Basso is a mixed type of structure, i.e., with an entirely developed part (the one facing the outside) and an unfinished part (the part facing the city was not completed precisely to avoid stealing an excessive amount of space inside the walls).

In the centre of the base side, grafted onto the Arnolfian walls, the keep was built. It is a structure that also encloses Porta Faenza and has completely original characteristics. It is a real mini bastion designed by Antonio da Sangallo to ensure good artillery fire and to break excessively long courtyards.

The keep is made of pietra forte, with walls decorated through sculptural operations, with a motif that recalls the Medici coat of arms.

Today inside it is possible to admire the Keep which houses the Octagonal Hall, the Faenza Gate, the Powder Magazine, the Monumental Quarters, the Lorraine Theatre.

The transformation into an exhibition centre has led to the provision of four pavilions as well as a space dedicated to the Opificio delle Pietre Dure.

The most evocative spaces of the Fortress are inside the Monumental Quarters: the Cannoniera, with embrasures for musket shots and terrace to allow artillery to attack; the Hall of the Bow, the Hall of the Grottoes or the Hall of Fencing.

Fortezza da Basso Florence: history

The Fortress was built by Alessandro de’ Medici in the aftermath of the siege of Florence to ensure the family’s control of the city.

But it was also designed to provide accommodation for troops, shelter for rulers in case of revolts and to instil fear thanks to its enormous size.

The task was entrusted to Pier Francesco da Viterbo and Antonio da Sangallo the Younger.

The works lasted from 1534 to 1537, with excavations led by Alessandro Vitelli and the architect Pier Francesco da Viterbo.

Already in December 1534 almost all the works concerning the fortification works were completed.

The fortress was born with the name of Alessandria Castle, with a pentagonal shape and giving the side facing the city a monumental appearance.

During the period dominated by the Lorraine, the officers’ palace, a theatre and other complexes of particular architectural and environmental importance were built.

In the period in which Florence became the capital of Italy, the fourteenth-century walls were demolished, the moats were levelled and almost all the walls were buried.

It was managed by the military until 1967, before becoming the headquarters of the Florence exhibition centre.

The new destination of the Fortress required numerous adaptation and restoration interventions, with the demolition of several service structures.

It was precisely these works that made it possible to make Porta Faenza visible again.

Fortezza da Basso: how to get there

Fortezza da Basso is located in Via Filippo Strozzi, in the centre of Florence and a few steps from Florence Santa Maria Novella Station.

Therefore, it can be easily reached on foot in just 5 minutes.

But the location is also served by numerous connections:

Tram. From the Motorway: it is connected to the motorway by the T1 tram line. Just park at Villa Costanza, the first Drive and Tramway motorway in our country;
Tram. From the airport: it is connected to Amerigo Vespucci airport by tram line T2;
Train. The proximity to the Florence Santa Maria Novella Station allows you to reach Fortezza da Basso from Bologna in 37 minutes, from Rome in 1 hour and 30 minutes, from Milan in 1 hour and 50 minutes, from Naples in 2 hours and 55 minutes;
Plane: in addition to the connection with the Amerigo Vespucci airport in Florence, Fortezza da Basso can also be reached from:
- Galileo Galilei International Airport in Pisa: it is one hour from Florence and is connected by trains departing at every hour and Terravision buses;
- Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport: in half an hour thanks to the high-speed railway;

Car: Fortezza da Basso is just 20 minutes from the A1 motorway and in particular from the Firenze Nord and Firenze Sud exits. We can leave the car on the motorway and take advantage of the Drive and Tramway service or reach the Fortress by car and benefit from its car parks.

Fortezza da Basso Florence: parking

One of the pluses of the Fortezza da Basso is the presence of convenient and large car parks that give you the opportunity to reach the location with your own vehicle.

The Fortezza Fiera Station car park is inside Fortezza da Basso, just a 5-minute walk from the internal areas.

The car park is covered and guarded and is open 24 hours a day.

The parking area is in Piazzale Caduti nei Lager.

The car park has 521 spaces, 11 of which are reserved for people with disabilities and 104 for motorcycles and scooters.

These are the rates:

Hour or fraction of an hour: € 1.60;
Daily rate: € 20.00.

A second car park near Fortezza da Basso is located in Piazza della Stazione 13, near the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella.

There are 901 parking spaces here, 17 of which are reserved for the disabled and 180 for motorcycles and scooters.

Access to LPG vehicles is allowed only on the first floor.

These are the rates:

Hourly car rate (first hour, second and subsequent non-divisible hours): € 3.80;
Rate for motorcycles/scooters from 8:00 to 20:00, from Monday to Saturday, on a flat rate: € 1.00;
Night and holiday rate. Every hour or fraction thereafter, from 20:00 to 8:00, from Monday to Saturday and throughout the day on Sunday: € 0.50 at a flat rate.

A third solution is the Villa Costanza Car Park. It is open 24 hours a day and is dedicated to the car-tramway exchange. It can be accessed directly from the A1 motorway by taking the dedicated exit, between Scandicci and Impruneta.

These are the rates:

First half hour: free;
30 minutes to 1 hour: € 0.50;
from 1 to 4 hours: € 2;
from 4 to 10 hours: € 5;
from 10 to 24 hours: € 7.

Fortezza da Basso: Florence ZTL

Fortezza da Basso is on the northern edge of Florence ZTL (Limited Traffic Zone).

The limited traffic zone is beyond Via Filippo Strozzi.

By stopping your car in one of the car parks mentioned above, you will have the opportunity to park near the Fortress and a short distance from the historic centre of Florence.

Without, however, entering the ZTL.

Fortezza da Basso Florence: map

Fortezza da Basso has an irregular pentagonal shape.

It boasts three entrances:

Porta Faenza (also ticket office);
Porta Santa Maria Novella;
Porta Soccorso alla Campagna (also ticket office).

Inside, we distinguish:

Monumental area;
Former high school;
Rastriglia Pavilion (also ticket office);
Ghiaie Pavilion;
Arsenale Pavilion;
Lorenese Pavilion;
Nazioni Pavilion;
Ronda Pavilion;
Spadolini Pavilion;
Cavaniglia Pavilion.

Fortezza da Basso Firenze Fiera

Today Fortezza da Basso is part of the exhibition complexes of Firenze Fiera.

It hosts important events, conferences, national and international events.

It boasts 50 meeting rooms that can accommodate from 400 to 2,200 people.

It is the most important structure of the Florentine exhibition centre.

It has an area of 80,000 square metres, of which 55,000 are covered.

It is ideal for hosting high-profile trade fairs, congresses, receptions and gala evenings.

One of the pluses of the complex is represented by the alternation between historical environments (Monumental area and Polveriera) with modern pavilions (Spadolini and Cavaniglia).

Each space is embellished with modern technologies, comforts and personalised services.

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