Fortezza Spagnola

About the museum

The fortress overlooks the harbour of Porto Santo Stefano and is a coastal fortification built by the Spanish between the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century, when the area belonged to the Stato dei Presidi. The ruins of the Torre di Santo Stefano, a destroyed 15th-century Sienese stronghold, were reused as building material. The works lasted a long time and were only completed in 1636, after modifications by the military engineer Pedro Álvarez.

The complex has a quadrangular plan, formed by two adjoining blocks set off from each other, with high sloping walls partly faced in stone and partly in plaster, crowned by corbels and merlons. The entrances are on the side opposite the sea: the upper door is reached by a long external stone staircase that ends in a bridge in place of the former drawbridge. On the lower terrace the stone wheels can still be seen that turned the gun carriages in the 19th century.

Today the fortress is run by the Comune di Monte Argentario and hosts two permanent exhibitions. Memorie sommerse occupies the two floors of the building and traces the stages of underwater archaeological research, with finds recovered since the 1960s from the sea off the coast of the Maremma, witnesses to the trade along the routes of the Mediterranean. Maestri d'ascia documents the tradition of the Argentario's fishing-boat builders, with tools, scale models of ancient and modern boats, photographs and panels.

Highlights

• Permanent exhibition Memorie sommerse on underwater archaeology
• Finds recovered in the sea off the Maremma since the 1960s
• Maestri d'ascia exhibition with tools and fishing-boat models
• Spanish fortification completed in 1636
• View over the harbour of Porto Santo Stefano

Permanent exhibitions

• Memorie sommerse – Permanent exhibition on underwater archaeology in Tuscany, with finds recovered since the 1960s from the sea off the Maremma.
• Maestri d'ascia – Exhibition on the tradition of the Argentario's fishing-boat builders, with tools, models and photographs.

Operated by

Comune di Monte Argentario

Visitors per year

approx. 11,151

Admission & discounts

Fees set by the Comune di Monte Argentario by resolution of the municipal executive (Giunta) no. 219/2024.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The upper entrance is reached by a long external stone staircase.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The fortress is on Piazzale del Governatore, on the hill above the harbour of Porto Santo Stefano.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit