Fort fenestrelle - ancient fortress towering over the town of the same name in the territory of the Val di Susa in Piedmont. It is Europe's largest alpine fortress - it is located in an area of ​​1300000 square meters The fort was built by the French in 1694, the year by the architect Vauban, and between 1728-m and 1850 m over the years has been expanded and strengthened by the Italians. It stands at an altitude of 1100-1800 meters above sea level and guards the road to Turin through the valley of the river Kizone. In 1709, the year after the defeat of the French troops of the fort was bought by the Duchy of Savoy, later became the Kingdom of Sardinia.

History of Fort fenestrelle very interesting. In 1694, the year the French General de Katine received permission to build a fortress Muten Valley Kizone by the famous military engineer Sebastien Le Prestre de Vauban. However, in August 1708, the year the fortress was besieged by the army under the leadership of Savoy Victor Amadeus II - the French held out in only 15 days. In 1713, the year in accordance with the Treaty of Utrecht, France officially handed Fort, known fenestrelle, the House of Savoy, who immediately ordered to reinforce the structure of his best defense. All the fortifications were connected by a 3-kilometer long wall and the inside staircase with 3,996 steps.

French for some time used the fort as a prison fenestrelle - known among the prisoners were Joseph de Maistre and Bartolomeo Pakka. It also contained Pierre Picot, who became the prototype of Edmond Dantes, the protagonist of the novel by Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo. " Savoytsy sent here as political prisoners, supporters of Mazzini and common criminals.

In 1861, the year after the unification of Italy, about 24 thousand people, mostly soldiers, supported the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, were sent to Fort fenestrelle that, in fact, turned into a concentration camp. Here Garibaldi supporters were locked and the Pope. Most of the prisoners died of hunger and cold.

In 1882 the castle was restored, and after the year 1887 was used as the headquarters of the Third Battalion fenestrelle Alpine regiment. After the Second World War, the fort was abandoned and began to decline, he was even partially dismantled by local residents. Only in 1990, it began implementation of the project on the reconstruction of Fort fenestrelle initiated by a group of volunteers "Progetti San Carlo."