In the first half of the 18^th century, Genoese fortifications included only a few coast batteries, like Fort Castellaccio and the last two chains of walls.

The open field buildings were raised during the Austrian siege in 1747, as it became evident that the walls alone were insufficient to protect the city. It was necessary to build other fortifications detatched by the walls, in order to prevent the enemy from drawing near them, take them by storm and descend towards the city.

In the same year, the Swiss, Jaques Sicre, became General Inspector of the Fortifications and, together with a group of military engineers, created a new defence-line outside the city, which included Fort Quezzi, Fort Richelieu, Fort Santa Tecla and Fort Diamante.

During the Napoleonic era (1801-1814), the Imperial Military Office improved the efficiency of these forts, and made projects to build new ones. But, with the downfall of Napoleon in April 1814, the city and the few existing fortifications were occupied by the allied English troups. At the head of them was general William Bentinck who, on the 26^th of the same month, formed a temporary Government.

Liguria was afterwards annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia, as decided by the Congress of Wien in 1815.

In May of the same year, as General Bentinck was preparing a plan, divided in three sections, to restructure the fortifications, the Piedmontese troops took over.

In the event that the government was compelled to move to Sardinia, the forts represented a secure shelter; this is one of the reasons why it was important to fortify the city of Genoa still further.

In a report of 1817, we can find a testimony of how the city was considered under the military point of view: "We must not think of the city of Genoa and of the fortifications ... that surround it .... as a mere Battle Field ... such city must be considered ... as an important withdrawal position for the Royal Troops, which, in the event of a war ... would find themselves ... obliged to retreat, leaving inside the Fortifications of H.M. States the necessary garrisons for their own protection. In this case the remaining troops, by retreating upon the city of Genoa, and by occupying it with small forts, positions and walls, ... could defend themselves against a force four times more powerful, and ... easily and advantageously change the dynamics of the war, that is, to take the offensive ...".

The completion of the fortified works occurs, therefore, in the Savoy period. The intervention of the Royal Body of the Sardinian Military is innovative. The barrack is considered very important because it can easily be seen emerging from the walls, and this characterizes the Fort.

The problem of removing the stagnating fumes of shooting inside the casemates, was solved through the action of the architects, who opened small semi-circular windows. But this was often insufficient for a rapid evacuation of the fumes, so they opened other windows and created new ones in order to obtain a better ventilation.

Our fortifications rarely underwent hard trials because of the enemy; Genoa, being a fortified city, only had to give up once, because of hunger, during the English and Austrian siege in 1800 (6^th of April - 4^th of June).

In 1849, when the revolts against the Piedmontese took place, Genoa fell merely due to a lack of organization in the defence lines. In fact, if the forts had been well surveyed and protected, the troops of General La Marmora would not not have been able to penetrate the town, settle in St. Benigno and, from there, on Easter Sunday, shoot at the population (See note).

The amazing technical improvements made in the field of artillery, like the rifled breech-loader cannons, the strategy of aircrafts and the use, only in the new fortifications, of a much stronger cement, rendered the 19^th century forts totally unfit against these new means, for they were made of stone and brick, and they were intented for the old- fashioned, simple cannon balls.

Many of them, by the end of 19^th century, were completely abandoned.

Some of the old works were used in 1907 for the grand maneouvres, others in the war of '15-'18 as prisons for Austrian soldiers.

In the meantime, because of Royal Decree Number 835 of the 6^th of August, 1914, they were removed from the list of "State Fortifications", and passed on from the Military Property Office to the State Patrimony Office. Starting from the summer of 1927, the fortresses were equipped and utilised for the Italian anti-aircraft personnel (a large part was handed over to the Germans on the 8^th of September, 1943), and were then abandoned at the end of the conflict.

Today, the forts belong to the State Patrimony Office; this means, in simple words, that they are state benefits available by either concession or sold (through the Financial Organisation and the Ministry of Finance) to anyone. Some exceptions are Fort San Giuliano, Fort San Giorgio, part of Fort Castelaccio, The Specola Tower and the Batteries of Vagno: these remains belong to the State Patrimony Office not disposable, therefore they can be only used by the state. Furthermore, these constructions are covered by Law number 1089 of 1^st of June, 1939: as a consequence of this, theoretically they cannot undergo modifications that could alter their original structure.

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