Cittadella of Alessandria

Alessandria, Italy, Italy

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The Cittadella of Alessandria is a massive 18th-century star-shaped fortress located across the Tanaro River from the city of Alessandria in Piedmont.

Built by the Kingdom of Sardinia between the 1730s and early 1800s, it is considered one of the best-preserved military fortifications of its kind in Europe. Designed with six bastions, moats, ramparts, and extensive defensive structures, the citadel played an important role in several major conflicts, including the War of the Austrian Succession, the Napoleonic era, and the Italian Risorgimento.

It is also remembered as the site where a tricolour flag associated with the movement for Italian unity was raised in 1821. Today, the Cittadella is a major historical landmark and cultural site. Its exceptional state of preservation allows visitors to experience one of the finest examples of military architecture in Italy, and it has been proposed for inclusion on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.