The Citadel, now reduced to a few derelict and tumbledown bastions, was built by the Spaniards in order to repress and keep under constant control any popular uprisings by the population of Messina. A highly strategic point was chosen for the building of the fortress, which was designed by the Dutch architect Carlos de Grunenbergh - the first part of the San Ranieri peninsula. It took six years to build the Citadel, from 1680 to 1686. The pentagonal building, entirely surrounded by water, was further strengthened on the northern and southern sides by projecting, wedge-shaped bastions that made it impregnable.

During the 18th and 19th centuries the Citadel continued to be at the centre of military events affecting Messina, until March 1861, when the Bourbon garrison was obliged to put up strenuous resistance.

Spared by wars and sieges, this monument of the Bourbon domination, now in a state of sad decline, could do little to save itself from neglect, demolition, and pillage.

Among the surviving constructions, there are a pair of houses, a series of galleries in the Santo Stefano fort, the Santo Stefano Counterguard, the Opera Carolina, and the Opera San Francesco.

Details of The Citadel of Messina

(click on the photos to enlarge)