Fortezza di Castelfranco

About the museum

The fortress stands on a promontory overlooking the sea between Finalmarina and Finalpia. A first fortification was built by the Republic of Genoa around 1365 to control the territory of Finale and to counter the power of the Del Carretto marquesses. In the following centuries the complex was repeatedly demolished, rebuilt and contested between Genoa, the Del Carretto and Spain, which governed Finale from 1602 to 1707 and strengthened the defensive system of the area.

After the end of Spanish rule the Genoese dismantled most of the fortifications of Finale, but they kept Castelfranco, which in 1745 withstood an English naval attack. In the 19th century the complex was used as a prison; during the First World War it housed Austro-Hungarian prisoners, many of whom died in the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918–1919. The prison buildings were demolished around 1950, and the fortress, owned by the Comune di Finale Ligure since 1938, was recovered from the 1990s onwards.

Today the fortress is an open space hosting exhibitions, concerts, screenings and artistic projects. Inside are the CEDMUST, a multimedia documentation centre dedicated to the history of Finale, and, since April 2026, the museum dedicated to the painter and mosaicist Nenne Sanguineti Poggi. The management of the spaces is entrusted by concession and also includes a catering service.

Highlights

• The bastion with an interactive projection in which four historical figures talk with visitors
• The CEDMUST with an exhibition room and stations for consulting maps, images and historical photographs of Finale
• The permanent museum dedicated to Nenne Sanguineti Poggi, with original works, archive materials and multimedia content
• The open-air spaces by the sea, venue for concerts, cinema and art events
• The Ristorante La Fortezza inside the complex

Permanent exhibitions

• CEDMUST – Centro di Documentazione Multimediale Storico-Territoriale – Route devoted to the history of the fortress, with an exhibition room, an interactive multimedia installation in the bastion and stations for consulting cartography, images and historical photographs of Finale.
• Museo NSP – Nenne Sanguineti Poggi – Permanent exhibition with original works, archive materials and multimedia content devoted to the painter, mosaicist and writer Nenne Sanguineti Poggi, active for over forty years in Europe and the Horn of Africa.

Operated by

Comune di Finale Ligure (proprietario); gestione in concessione

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Access to the fortress and to the museum dedicated to Nenne Sanguineti Poggi is free; events, evenings and special guided tours may have a ticket of their own.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant

The Ristorante La Fortezza operates inside the fortress.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Weddings / ceremonies

The spaces of the fortress are available for weddings, exhibitions, concerts, meetings and cultural projects; requests are submitted via the form on the website.

Plan your visit