Forte di Fuentes Colico Like
Forte di Fuentes: Description
It was built by the Spanish governor of Milan, Don Pedro Enríquez de Acevedo, Count of Fuentes, to defend the northern border of the Spanish domain against the Grisons to the north. Construction was begun in 1603 under and was substantially complete within three years. The fort yielded to Prince Eugène of Savoy in 1706, ending Spanish control of the area.
The fort was visited in 1769 by the Emperor Joseph II, who declared it militarily useless. It was decommissioned in 1782, and the hill auctioned to a private buyer. The fortress was largely demolished in 1796 by general Rambeau on the orders of Napoleon and at the request of the Grisons. During the 19th century the ruins became the refuge of groups of bandits which the Austrian gendarmerie was unable to dislodge. Eight gun emplacements were constructed on the site during the First World War, and the circular Spanish tower on the western side demolished at this time.
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["Since Roman times","Lake Como was a venerated location to build for opulence","defence or leisure."]