Old Fortress, Livorno

The plans to build the castle started in 1519, and the structure was completed under the rule of Alessandro de' Medici in 1534. Antonio da Sangallo the Younger is also reported by another source as the builder. The fortress contains the remains of the older fort built by Pisa and the 11th-century tower constructed by Matilda. Matilda's tower, known in Italian as Mastio di Matilde, or Mastio della Contessa Matilde, The old castle also contains the ruins of an ancient Roman castrum. On 24 April 1589, Christine of Lorraine arrived in Livorno from the sea as part of the celebrations of her wedding to Ferdinand I of Tuscany and came ashore landing at Fortezza Vecchia through the use of a drawbridge. On 19 March 1606 Ferdinando I proclaimed Livorno a "city" in a ceremony which took place inside the fortress. The population of the city at the time was 3,000 inhabitants. ==Fortezza Nuova==

Decades after the construction of the old fort, Livorno's fortifications were further enhanced by building a new fortress. In the 19th century the fort became a prison which during the Risorgimento also kept Italian political prisoners including Francesco Domenico Guerrazzi and others. The old fortress sustained extensive damage in World War II but was subsequently repaired following the conflict. ==Scientific experiment==

On 2 April 1662, an experiment designed to test Galileo's principle of the independence of motions, during projectile motion, was conducted at the old fortress. The experiment was carried out by members of the Accademia del Cimento. ==References==