What is the military history of Porto Ercole?

Porto Ercole was long a disputed strategic port, then a Spanish stronghold intended to control this part of the Tuscan coast. Its Rocca, whose origins date back to the Middle Ages, was reinforced in the 15th century by the Republic of Siena, which protected the village and its port. The position also attracted covetousness: in 1542, the men of the Ottoman corsair Khayr ad-Din Barbarossa pillaged the port facilities.

The decisive episode occurred during the Sienese War: after the fall of the city, Spanish and Florentine troops besieged Porto Ercole, where Sienese and French defenders had taken refuge. The stronghold surrendered in juin 1555. Starting from 1557, the port belonged to theState of the Presidi, a territory under Spanish control. The Spanish then reinforced the defenses around the Rocca and notably built Forte Filippo, starting in 1558, then Forte Stella. Together with the structures near the port, these forts formed a crossfire system to watch over the bay and repel attacks coming from the sea. Porto Ercole also withstood a French attack in 1646. Today, the fortifications mainly tell of this long military function; some buildings, including Forte Filippo, are not freely accessible.